Grayscale
by Joki-chan
Summary: Karasu's a little odd, but that doesn't stop her from befriending Gon and Killua at the Hunter Exam. The three have no idea what they're about to get themselves into. KilluaxOC
1. One Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events of Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter One

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter; Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

It was relatively quiet in the wide Hunter's Meeting Area beneath the small Greasy-Spoon restaurant. A low buzz was the most that could be heard as the several - well, not several exactly, but enough - bodies of Hunter Wannabees inhaled and exhaled to further their existence.

Among these Hunter Hopefuls was a young girl, twelve or thirteen age wise, with charcoal hair knotted at the back of her head in a pony-tail. It spiked, though, in a very pineapple-leaf type fashion. Her eyes were a dark, shining black that, while pupil-less, were not totally void of emotion.

As she stood alone in the sea of people, her attire and air of arrogance made many individuals gaze in her direction. Then again, few expected a female teenager dressed in a white "fingerless" undershirt with a black halter-top accentuated above a deep gray skort and black flat-heeled boots to be accepted into the Hunter Exams.

The button on her undershirt bragged that she had not only been taken into the Hunter Exams, but she had been the thirteenth. Supposedly, the unluckiest.

Her eyes swept over the crowd of two-hundred plus people until she caught sight of an interesting figure.

He was lean (though she couldn't be sure with his baggy shirt and shorts), with a thin angular face blotted out by large fairly expressionless green eyes below a mess of tangled spiky white hair.

As if feeling the weight of her stare, he turned his head a fraction of an inch and returned the gaze. He gave a fleeting smile, and a very small, very unsure wave.

Her lips stretched into a grin, exposing a mouthful of white teeth, and her hand extended into the air as she gave a full armed hello.

From their distance the girl could tell that he smiled a little wider and gave a laugh. This was a good sign. She approached him at a brisk clip, her boots clapping against the concrete floor.

"Hi," she said brightly, giving an informal half-bow and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm Karasu."

He nodded in greeting. "Killua."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Killua. What's your specialty?" she inquired, one brow arching over her eye.

"Specialty?" He blinked twice at her.

"Mm-hm," she nodded. "Like, what kind of Hunter? Food, animal, rare treasure...," her mouth twisted into a vicious leer and she whispered giddily, "people...?"

"I'm not really... sure yet," Killua muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She smiled at him, the previously malicious shadow passing from her features. "It's something you should probably think about. I'm going to be a Hunter for People."

He frowned; looking mildly confused, and then nodded. "I guess that's what I'm looking to do. There're a bunch of people I want to bring in for their bounty."

Karasu eyed him, her fingers to her lips in thought. Then she nodded.

"So we have something of a common goal. Well, I guess that's good!" She laughed a little, and then snapped her head around.

Killua reacted less dramatically, but both ended up staring at a man with a large nose, slicked back hair, and the number Sixteen button attached to his right chest.

"Hi!" he greeted confidently, a smile plastered to his face. "Would you two like a drink?"

He extended two cans of what looked like orange juice. Karasu's face wrinkled in disgust and suspicion, while Killua's brightened.

"Sure, thanks!" he exclaimed, taking one of the cans, popping the tab and chugging the contents.

"And you?" the man questioned, holding the beverage out to her.

Karasu shook her head slowly. "No, thank you. I don't accept food or drink from strangers."

"Your loss," Killua said, crushing the can and tossing it aside, smiling. "Thanks a bunch! I was really thirsty."

"No problem, I guess I'll see you two later," the man said, walking away.

"What's your name?" Killua questioned loudly after him.

He half turned and replied over his shoulder, "Tonpa."

As he left, Karasu sent him a wicked glare. "I don't trust him."

"The juice did taste a little funny," Killua agreed mildly, and then shrugged. "It's fine, though. I've built up my resistance to all kinds of poison."

She stared at him in admiration. "Arsenic?"

"Yep."

"Iron?"

"Uh-huh."

"Carbon Monoxide?"

"Well, sure."

"Rattlesnake bite?"

He nodded.

She grinned. "That's an interesting immunity, Killua."

At this he shrugged. "I guess it'll come in handy."

From not too far away came a shocked scream, and both kids turned to stare at a man who'd just seemed to lose his arms below the elbow. Before him was a man with wavy reddish hair and a demonic smile. His cheeks were adorned with a star and a teardrop. In all, he covered the stereotype for joker by shuffling a deck of cards.

"Ew, clowns creep me out," Karasu commented, her brow crinkling.

"Ignore it," Killua replied, turning on his heel and walking away.

Blinking, she called after him, "Do you want me to follow, or pretend I never met you?"

He paused for half a step. "You're not following, you're accompanying."

She grinned and jogged to his side. He smacked his lips together. "I'm still thirsty."

Karasu rolled her eyes playfully. "Why don't you find Mr. Tonpa? He's probably got juice to go 'round."

"Good idea," he remarked, looking off into the crowd and then gesturing wildly. "Tonpa! Can you spare another can of juice?"

Karasu followed his gaze to spot none other than the short pudgy man.

He approached them smirking, "What, taking me up on my offer?"

"Not me," she disagreed, shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Killua had already downed three more cans. He sighed in contentment. "That was yummy!"

Both Karasu and Killua caught the concerned/confused look on Tonpa's face, and the boy couldn't help but jab at the older man's insecurity. "Don't worry, no poison will kill me."

Smirking, the two departed. They only made it a little ways before a loud, high-pitched squealing echoed through the air. Looking up, everyone spied a man in a deep black suit with no mouth holding up the screeching offender. He clacked its mouth shut, happy that he had everyone's attention.

"Registration is closed as of now," he began. Karasu was shocked he could speak without any trace of a mouth, but decided not to comment. "The Hunter Exam has begun. I would like to clear a few things up before we begin - the Exam is harsh. If you lack the ability - too bad for you. If you happen to be unlucky - again, that is unfortunate."

At this, everyone's eyes drifted toward the charcoal-haired girl with the number Thirteen pinned to her breast.

"As you saw other examinees are not above sabotaging others, if you are alright with that, then please, follow me."

He began at a brisk pace down the tunnel, and everyone followed, looking either vaguely annoyed or blankly confused.

Karasu frowned. "He's speeding up," she whispered, feeling her legs begin to work overtime. "I should've worn different shoes."

Killua chuckled, and then fed her an impish smile. "Try to keep up."

He threw down a skateboard, hopping on and rolling forward quicker than most applicants were moving. She gasped and sprinted after him. "You're so mean!"

"I am Satotz, your examiner for the first phase and your guide to the second. Please try to keep up," the mouthless man - now labeled Satotz - called after him, and Karasu grumbled under her breath as she came neck and neck with Killua.

"You're slow."

"You're riding on a friggin' skateboard, you might be slower than me," she snapped.

He laughed.

From behind them, a man shouted suddenly, "A skateboard? That's cheating!"

Killua half turned to stare at the man with a short black haircut, sunglasses, and a suit. "How so?"

"This is a test of endurance!" he yelled back.

The blonde man beside him corrected him immediately. "Not necessarily, you just assumed that."

"Who's side are you on?"

Karasu's eye landed on the boy running with the two arguing males, and smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Karasu. What's your name?"

He grinned back. "I'm Gon.

"I'm Killua," said boy said quickly, not wanting to be left out. He looked at Gon inquisitively. "How old are you, Gon?"

"Twelve," he responded.

"Me, too," both Karasu and Killua informed brightly.

"Hm... I think I'll run for a while," Killua mused before kicking his legs to send his skateboard airborne, and then into his arms.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Karasu muttered, slowing a little. "You skateboard for me, but you'll run for Gon."

Killua ignored her and looked at the black-haired man that'd accused him of cheating. "And who're you, Pops?"

"Pops?" he cried, outraged. "I'm not even twenty yet!"

"No way!" Gon and Karasu cried, shocked.

"Et tu, Gon! Our friendship's over!" the man shouted.

Giggling, Karasu listened as Gon introduced the other two.

The black-haired man was Leorio, the blonde was Kurapika.

And with these four new acquaintances - not yet but almost friends - the young girl Karasu began her road toward becoming a Hunter.


	2. Two Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Two

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter; Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

The pounding of Hunter Hopefuls was like a bass line in Karasu's head. Her head was throbbing with the repetitive sound, and she felt she was close to ripping off someone's legs. Fill the silent thrumming with their squelchy screams.

For five hours they had been running - maybe more. Leorio had almost given up - and Killua had given up on him already. But he pulled himself together at the last minute and was now running far ahead of Kurapika, Killua, Karasu, and Gon.

Her breath a little bit of a sharp whistle, Karasu groaned when - twenty kilometers later - the band of misfits began trekking up many many flights of stairs.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered, shaking her head.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Killua muttered from beside her, and she glanced at him to see he was staring intently at her. He hadn't even broken a sweat - wasn't even breathing hard.

Her eyes narrowed and she looked back ahead. But as Killua, Gon, and she kept their quick pace, soon they found themselves far ahead of everyone else.

"It's because they're running so slow," Killua explained confidently. "When you climb stairs slowly it tires you out faster."

Karasu twitched. "You mean if I slow down at all I'm just gonna hurt myself?"

"I never said that," Killua disagreed.

She grunted and looked forward.

"So, Killua, why do you want to be a Hunter?" Gon questioned after an uncomfortable silence.

"I don't," he stated simply, shrugging. "I'm just interested in the Exam is all."

"But you said you want to be a Black List Hunter," Karasu commented, swiveling her head to stare at him.

"Yeah, but... y'know, I don't really want to be a Hunter. If I was a Hunter, though, that's what kind I'd be."

Karasu hummed - kind of. She was too out of breath to hum for real.

"What about you, Gon?" Killua rebounded, smiling a little.

"Oh, my dad was a Hunter, and I wanna be just like him," he said brightly.

Killua laughed out loud. "You're really weird, Gon."

"I am?" he questioned, brows rising. He elaborated, "I never met my dad, I was raised by my aunt Mito since I was a baby. Up until a few years ago all I knew about him was a picture, but Kite, his student, told me a whole bunch about him. He said that Ging could be a Triple Star Hunter if he wanted to..."

"He's that amazing, huh?" Killua questioned, and Gon shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. Kite seemed to be prouder of my dad than he was of himself, and that's what makes me want to follow in his footsteps. ... What about you, Karasu?"

She snapped to attention from a small daze she'd been in, and asked Gon to please repeat the question.

"What about you? Why d'you want to be a Hunter?"

Karasu fell silent, her eyes glazing over just a little bit as she thought of past events. Far away, she could see herself - younger by several years, limping quickly through brambles that caught her clothing and bloodied body. She could see in haunting detail the splashes of blood that had covered her - some hers, but most of it theirs.

Just as she opened her mouth to tell them the abridged version, a masculine voice shouted in pride, "Look! The exit!"

All eyes immediately snapped forward as a square of light came into view and the air carried the scent of fresh air.

A few leaps later and they were outside, gulping down oxygen and staring around them in shock at the mist covered ground.

"Where are we?" Gon questioned, his request of Karasu currently forgotten.

"Milsy Wetlands," Satotz replied bluntly. "Also known as Swindler's Swamp. It will be the phase of the second part of the first Exam. Just so all of you know, many of the swamp creatures are manipulators - and they are likely to kill and eat you. To be deceived is to be dead."

Several people shared annoyed glances.

"So, basically, we have to expect the unexpected?" Karasu inquired, having caught her breath. The film of sweat that had covered her body had dried in the cool outdoor air.

"Yes," Satotz agreed heartily before walking forward in long strides.

"A liar! He's lying!"

Everyone's face turned, and the crowd parted so that Satotz could see and be seen by the ragged and bloodied man that had suddenly appeared. He was dragging a limp body behind him, and clutching his stomach while loping forward.

"This man is an imposter! I'm the real examiner!"

Whispers erupted.

"Not the real examiner?"

"We've been duped?"

"This man is one of the swamp creatures! The Man-Faced Ape!" With that, the roughed up man held up the limp animal to reveal the 'Man-Faced Ape.'

Karasu rolled her eyes. "That monkey's not dead," she whispered to Gon and Killua, who looked at her skeptically.

"How can you tell just by looking at it?"

She flinched and looked away. "... I've been around enough corpses to know..."

"Man-Faced Apes are vicious creatures!" the un-named man carried on. "They lust after human flesh but are too weak to get it themselves! So they lead groups of humans to the swamp, and in cooperation with other animals, kill and devour them! And this year, they're out to get the whole Hunter Applicant Pool!"

Karasu rolled her eyes again and let out a disgruntled sigh, thinking maybe she'd get to rip someone's legs off after all. This annoying imposter would be unworthy, but he needed to get a new record.

And suddenly, her blood ran cold as an extreme amount of lust seemed to suffocate her. She stared behind her, eyes wide and mouth open in a little o. The man who'd been dressed as a joker held eye contact with her, and she knew in that instant that he was more of a threat than Killua had written him off for.

As if proving her point, he flung three playing cards at the screeching man, and four at Satotz.

All three cards plunged into the man's soft flesh, blood spurting into the air and he fell back - dead before he hit the ground. The hard packing sound of his body slamming against the dirt made Karasu cringe and then turn her attention to Satotz, who held two cards between his fingers in each hand - looking annoyed.

The Man-Faced Ape's eyes twitched from being rolled back into its skull to glance quickly at its partner before releasing a blood-curdling screech and leaping out into the marsh. The joker sent a few playing cards after it, and Karasu watched as they connected and the animal fell to the ground, twitching.

Almost immediately, an unkindness of ravens flitted down from the sky and proceeded to tear the flesh from both beasts. Running her hands through her bangs, Karasu listened intently to the sound of ripping skin and pooling - running blood.

"As you can see, losing isn't pretty," Satotz commented.

Karasu snapped to attention, livid, and she was about to disagree and say that - in fact - the raven was a beautiful creature, but she kept her anger in check. She got a little testy when people bad-mouthed the animal she'd been named after, and she knew it was a bad habit.

"Well, anyway, onto the second phase!" Satotz declared. And once more he began to trek through the mud with his ridiculously long strides. Karasu merely sighed, and followed after along with all three hundred and eleven other examinees.

It didn't take long for fog to creep in around their ankles, quickly filling in the cracks between individuals bodies. It was soon incredibly hard to see anything.

"We should stay at the front," Killua suggested not long after the mist started to roll in.

Gon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that way we'll be able to see the examiner."

"That and we'll be able to keep our distance from that Hisoka guy."

Karasu blinked. "Who's...?" Then it hit her. Hisoka was the creepy clown guy. They looked at her inquisitively. She shook her head rapidly, "Never mind."

Killua continued, "He's killed, and he wants to kill again."

"Yeah, I can feel his bloodlust from up here," Karasu agreed.

Gon gained a confused expression as his new white-haired friend gave his new charcoal-haired friend a secret expression.

But then Killua was talking again, "You're wondering how I know. It's because I'm like him."

"We're like him," Karasu corrected quietly, thinking she was quiet enough for no one to hear her. She would later find out she was wrong.

"You don't seem to be like him," Gon pondered aloud.

"I'm playing innocent. You'll see."

Again, quietly, Karasu refurbished the sentence. "We're playing innocent."

Frowning, Gon turned and shouted into the sea of people, "Leorio! Kurapika! You should get to the front!"

Karasu laughed as she heard Leorio and Kurapika yell back, "Idiot! We would if we could!"

Killua rolled his eyes. "No sense of suspense at all."

"Yeah," she agreed, looking around. "The fog's getting thicker."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"I was just pointing it out in case you didn't know," she replied.

The two shared a narrow eyed glance, and then ran in silence. Not acknowledging - or caring about - the horrors that were going on behind them. Unfortunately, Gon couldn't help himself, and bolted off when he heard a shriek from Leorio.

Shaking their heads, Killua and Karasu mentally wished them the best of luck and followed after Satotz's blurry silhouette.


	3. Three Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Three

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter; Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

The fog did not lessen as the Hunter Hopefuls ran, following desperately after the Examiner Satotz, but Karasu and Killua managed to keep the man's shadow in their line of sight.

The two of them ignored the screams coming from behind them through the dense moist air, listening unconsciously for Gon's, Leorio's, or Kurapika's shrieks of anguish. Eventually, though, the two found themselves in a pretty little clearing, standing in front of a large warehouse. A monstrous clock sat above the door, ticking out the time.

"And this is where I take my leave," Satotz said calmly, turning to eye the two. "This is the destination of the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. Good luck."

"Thank you," Karasu said quietly, turning her eyes down as he glided away, feeling oddly depressed.

"You think they're okay?" she questioned Killua, who grunted and rolled his eyes.

"They'll be fine."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm taking your word for it. If they end up dead, I'll cut you."

He rose an eyebrow, smirking. "You couldn't cut me. You're too slow."

She leaned forward at the waist, standing akimbo and glaring up into his forest green eyes. A leer crossed her face. "You wanna bet?"

He leaned forward as well, returning the sneer, "Hell yeah."

At that moment, she lurched forward, extending one arm in an attempt to catch him around the neck. In this movement, she also brought her foot up to her hand, digging into her boot and pulling out a long slender blade.

She jabbed forward with the blade, aiming with uncanny precision at Killua's stomach. He instinctively caught her wrist, twisting her arm around with enough force to break it.

Instead of this series of events playing out, though, Karasu brought her leg back up and slammed it down into Killua's arm. He released her wrist, backpedaling a few steps and shaking his injured limb. Karasu hopped from foot to foot, and then leapt forward, angling her weapon so it was behind her, and reaching out with her other hand to try to grab her opponent by the hair.

Killua dodged to the side, out of the way, looking incredibly annoyed. This, though, was what Karasu was hoping he would do. She swung her arm forward; managing to knick the white-haired boy's arm before he realized what she was doing and cracking one of the bones in her arm.

She smirked at him through the pain. "Got'cha."

"You caught me off guard," he defended simply, examining the scratch that was dripping crimson. Meanwhile, Karasu had healed her fractured limb.

Killua stared at her. "How'd you do that?"

She fed him a coy smile, stashing away her knife. "It's a secret."

Before Killua could argue with her (or beat the information out of her) she turned and frowned. The figure of Hisoka made her immediately uneasy. "I may have to cut you again," she informed the boy beside her, and he turned to stare at the man with the number Forty-four pinned to his chest.

He grunted in response. She gasped suddenly, and took off running. Killua rolled his eyes and followed more slowly.

"Leorio!" she called loudly, collapsing to the ground beside the injured male. His tie was knotted around his arm, his glasses were nowhere to be seen, and his face was swollen.

"Karasu...?" he greeted skeptically. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"Leorio! ...Karasu?"

The two looked up to see a flustered Gon and Kurapika, who were coming toward them at an amazing pace.

"Are you okay?" Gon questioned Leorio upon his arrival.

"Yeah... I feel fine. Probably don't look too pretty, though," he joked.

Kurapika turned and whispered to Karasu, "He doesn't look any different to me."

She slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter, and refused to make eye contact with anyone.

"Anyway, why're we sitting out here?" Gon inquired, looking around at the faces of his friends.

Karasu gestured to the building behind them with the ticking clock. "Doors locked up tight."

"Why?"

"Hard telling," the familiar voice of Killua answered as he walked up, delivering a swift blow to the back of Karasu's head.

She hissed and whirled around to glare at him. "What was that for?" she snapped.

"They're fine, you cut me for no reason," he said mildly, holding up his injured arm.

"You're fine!" she snarled, massaging her now aching melon.

"Someone's pissy today," he taunted, smirking at her.

"You'd be pissy too, if someone just randomly hit you in the head!"

"Oh, get over it."

She huffed, eyes still narrowed in distaste.

"I'm lost," Leorio muttered, frowning.

"Yeah, me too," Kurapika agreed, Gon nodding.

"It's nothing," Killua stated quickly.

"Okay... so, why're the doors locked?"

Karasu rolled her eyes. "There's a big huge sign above the door that says the Second Phase begins at noon. Could be because it's not noon yet." She paused, and then smiled widely, "You wanna go wait by the door?"

"Sure," Gon exclaimed, smiling as Karasu laced her fingers with his and pointed out the way, weaving in and out of the crowd with surprising grace and ease.

She pointed at the sign, "See?"

"Yeah. But I guess this means we don't have to wait long," he commented.

"Nope," she agreed, releasing his hand and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you think's making that noise?" Killua questioned from behind the two.

Gon shrugged, but Karasu just gave him a mysterious smile. "You don't want to know, Killua, dear."

He raised an eyebrow, "What'd you call me?"

She snapped back around, staring up at the clock with great interest, "I called you Killua, what else?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes before the three stood in silence, waiting for the strike of the clock.

With a smirk on her face, Karasu waited in great anticipation for the bloodbath.


	4. Four Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Four

Fan-fiction for: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

"You're shaking," Killua whispered, watching Karasu closely as her body quivered. She ignored him and stared up at the large clock above the warehouse door as the second hand ticked, ticked, ticked.

There was no alarm or loud noises when the clock struck Twelve, but the doors did creak open. As all the Hunter Hopefuls made their way inside, practically mauling anyone who got in their way, Karasu hung back and waited until she would be in the very back of the room, closest to the door. She wanted to have the comfort of a quick escape.

Before everyone, there was a large man. His stomach swelled in front of him, and Karasu smiled as she heard more growls fill the air. She'd been right; the loud rumbles that had filled the silence outside had been made from a human stomach. Carefully, she inched toward the door.

A young female voice made its way to Karasu's ears. "You hungry, Buhara?"

"Famished," the large male replied.

"Good," the girl said. Her voice rose in volume. "We are Menchi, and Buhara. We will be the examiners of the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. Your goal is to make something for Buhara to eat, and if he is pleased with your work, you will make something for me to eat."

A ripple went through the crowd. Karasu crept backwards, listening intently for the command to go.

"What do you want, Buhara?" Menchi questioned.

The man's eyes seemed to sparkle as he lifted his hand into the air, his index finger pointing up. "I want whole roast pig. Any pig on this island will do. Go!"

Karasu burst out of the doors before anyone had the chance to turn around, and she was far into the outer lying forest before she heard anyone's footsteps on the packed dirt. Her sense of hearing was advanced, and she tilted her head slightly when she heard snuffling and grunting.

She screeched to a stop before turning and heading off in the direction of the odd, piggish sounds. And that's where she found the herd of Great Stamps. Their noses had adapted into curving bone to protect their incredibly sensitive foreheads. Karasu smirked to herself.

Like a predatory wild cat, she lowered her body and stalked around the perimeter of the clearing. Her eyes swept over the large round bodies until she found the perfect pig.

It was fairly large, with cold glaring eyes. Its soft brown body was covered in battle scars. Karasu couldn't help but notice how the other Great Stamps kept their distance from it. It was vicious.

Without a sound, she lunged, her hands rigid and claw-like. Her fingers sunk into the ample flesh of the pig, and it released a pained cry before whirling around and bucking in an attempt to get the offender off its back. Smirking, Karasu kicked herself forward, landing in the curve between the Great Stamp's forehead and shield of a nose. She held onto its nose with her right hand, and with her left she cocked her arm back, and placed a hard punch in between its eyes.

The Great Stamp staggered, and then toppled over. Karasu leaned into its stomach, hearing no heartbeat and feeling no pulse. It was dead.

The other Great Stamps in the clearing didn't even turn to look at the spectacle that had taken place, and Karasu dragged her prize away. She pulled her knife from her boot, and proceeded to gut the animal. While the inside dried out, she built a fire, speared the Great Stamp, and held it over the flame. Rotating it for a consistent cooking, her ears picked up the sound of running.

Her nose wrinkling in annoyance, she stomped the flame out and ducked back to where the Examiners were. With ease, she drifted through the forest, avoiding people and making it to the warehouse, presenting the roasted Great Stamp to Buhara.

As the large man gave an excited squeal and then proceeded to devour the large pig, Menchi let out a low whistle. "How'd you finish off this pig so fast, Thirteen?"

Karasu shrugged absently. "Great Stamps aren't too bright."

"But they're vicious. They don't hesitate to attack," Menchi continued, eyeing the girl down.

"Yeah but... I'm a far more lethal... far more _dangerous_ predator than the Great Stamp." She smiled ruefully, and brushed her bangs away from her face.

Menchi smiled coldly. "I see..."

"It's delicious!" Buhara thundered, and the two girls looked up at him. "You pass!"

"Woot," Karasu cheered her voice monotonous.

At this time, the rest of the Hunter pool came pounding through the door, crowding around the examiners.

In the end, after Buhara ate way more than he should've been able to (Kurapika explained that, based on body mass, such a feat was practically impossible. Leorio told him not to hurt himself by thinking too hard) 71 examinees passed.

A loud hollow crash echoed through the room, and the 71 Hunter Hopefuls turned to stare blankly at Menchi, who'd just struck a small gong in the corner of the room. She smirked at the examinees, and then gestured for them to follow her. Karasu was wary immediately, and slowed visibly so that she was at the end of the great mass of people.

They were led to a large shiny building, which when opened revealed many cooking stations. Frowning, Karasu tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Alrighty," Menchi called, settling onto a couch with a table in front of it. "I want you to make me sushi. Use the stations in front of you to the best of your ability - you have until I've eaten enough to be full."

Karasu approached a station slowly, running a hand over the sleek steel surface and raising an eyebrow. She turned her attention to the examiner, who was sitting expectantly with chopsticks in her hand poised over two small dishes of something.

"You have any idea what we're doing?" Leorio questioned, looking down at his station.

Karasu sighed and shook her head, looking between Kurapika, Killua, and Gon.

"I think I've read about this dish," Kurapika said quietly, "its rice mixed with vinegar and… raw fish."

"_Fish! In a forest_?" Leorio exclaimed, eyes widening.

Around the five applicants, every other person had heard the exclamation and was heading for the door.

Karasu's eyes narrowed at him. "Good going, you loudmouthed idiot."

And to the surprise of the other four, she had practically disappeared into the forest.

"She's fast," Gon muttered, running with the others.

"Yeah," Killua agreed, frowning, "but that's not necessarily a good thing."

Gon looked at him in confusion, but Killua did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Karasu was glaring into a bit of secluded lake. She'd managed to cut herself away from the group, and was now trying to cool herself down. Anger wasn't going to get her anywhere in this situation. She kicked off her boots, looked over both her shoulders, and then removed the rest of her clothing. With another glance behind her, she dove into the water in search of fish.

On her fist and second attempts, she found nothing. She burst through the surface, gasping loudly and trying to even her breathing. By this time she no longer cared about her surroundings, and dove back down without looking around. This time, she spotted a relatively large fish that was drifting below her, propelling itself forward with powerful lashes of its tail.

Her eyes narrowed, and she knew with an unexpected certainty that this creature wasn't about to come quietly. She sunk lower, getting as close as she thought was safe. The fish's eye swiveled to her, its gills fluttered slightly, and then spines stiffened all over its body. Karasu backed off the slightest bit, and she scowled beneath the water. She wasn't out of breath yet, but she knew it wouldn't take much longer.

Not many creatures would've been able to see the thing forming in her hand, and the fish was no exception. She did not swim any closer, but she flicked her wrist at the fish, and then braced herself.

An explosion echoed through the forest, and many of the Hunter Hopefuls looked around in confusion.

Karasu coughed, sitting on the bank in the nude, with the dead fish beside her. She sneezed several times to expel any leftover water from her nose, and then she smirked at her prize. It was a long fish, but it looked quite different from when she'd gazed at it underwater. Some of its spines were gone, having been blown off, and some of its tail was missing as well. She smirked at it, and then moved to get dressed.

She became frighteningly aware of her surroundings when a low chuckle reached her ears. Her head turned slowly to look behind her, and her naked body tensed visibly.

Hisoka smirked at her, his hands folded behind his back.

For a moment, Karasu had no idea how to react.

"That was an interesting technique you used," the clown hummed, not making any move to approach her.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed, "Don't tell a soul, or you'll be experiencing it firsthand."

He chuckled, smirk turning into a smile. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"What are you even doing here?" she snapped, fists clenching at her sides.

"The explosion piqued my interest. I came to investigate, and imagine my surprise when I see you on the bank, completely undressed," he replied.

If it had been anyone else, she probably would've blushed furiously and tried to make an excuse. As it was Hisoka, though, a chill went down her spine and her skin began to crawl.

He turned to go, and then paused. His tongue darted out past his lips for a moment, and then he stated, "Very interesting scars, by the way. Especially that one on your shoulder blade."

Her entire body went rigid, and she glared after him as he disappeared into the brush. She dressed quickly, tugging her boots on last and then stomping over to her fish. Her body was soaked, and it grew no better when she threw the fish over her shoulder and headed back toward the shiny building to make sushi.

She was one of the last people to begin making sushi, and she ignored the glances she got from Killua, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. When Hisoka leered at her, though, she sent him a hateful look and flipped him off. He chuckled while the others flinched, watching as she took a large knife and chopped off the head of her fish.

It was apparent that she was working on auto-pilot. When the others tried to strike up conversation with her, she blatantly ignored them in favor of slicing up her fish. When the creature had been reduced to rectangles that were smaller than the palm of her hand, and stripped off all scales, she began to mold rice. They watched her work with something close to admiration.

Her finished work looked far better than theirs had, even after number two-ninety-four blabbed about the correct way to make Nigiri sushi. She stared at it for a moment, her fists clenched on the working station, and then she threw down the knife she'd been using and stalked toward the proctor.

Menchi raised a brow at her, and then picked the food from off the plate and popped it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment as all the other examiners stopped to watch with bated breath. A sigh went through the crowd as she began to shake her head. "No good, Thirteen."

Karasu shrugged, turning back as Menchi reached for her tea mug.

"That's it!" the pink-haired proctor exclaimed, "I'm full."

The entire crowd tensed and the same thought floated through everyone's head.

_But… no one's passed…!_


	5. Five Per Cent

Oh, wow, you guys, I had no idea people were reading this story. I'm so sorry I've taken this long to update, because seriously? I have up to like chapter 12 done. Thank you so much to those who've reviewed, and now this is the part where I reply to you guys :D

**Ashes2Ashes121**: Thanks you so much! A murder of crows is correct, but when referring to ravens in a group the term is actually an unkindness. Haha learn new things everyday, huh? And actually I'm fairly certain Karasu means "Crow" in Japanese, not Raven, but originally this story was titled Nevermore and it was partly inspired by Poe's poem The Raven. I was just too lazy to look up the actual word for Raven and change her name haha.

**whitewhite**: Thanks a bunch! I'm trying not to make Karasu as much of an MS as she used to be, and I hope that once her past is revealed and everything the pieces fall together in a reasonable way :)

**bbymojo**: Thanks so much! Her Nen abilities will be elaborated on in later chapters, and I'm going to do my best to make her past interesting to read. She doesn't have any connection to Hisoka, he's just generally creepy haha.

And also, thank you to the Guest who commented in all caps. Loved it :)

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Five

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

"Well, _this_ is certainly an interesting development," Karasu commented, arms crossed over her chest.

"I agree," Kurapika murmured, looking out the window of the blimp they were riding in.

Chairman Netero (who Karasu affectionately called Uncle, and was in turn called Little Niece) had dropped in after finding out about Menchi failing the entire applicant pool, and had found a compromise. Menchi would stay on as proctor, but she also had to participate in the next task she set up: boiled eggs.

Thus, they were whisked away into the Judging Committee blimp and were now on their way to Split Mountain.

When they reached their desired destination, Menchi approached a large rift, looking down into it while pulling off her boots. She glanced back at the assembled group, gave a small wave, and then leapt down into the ravine.

Karasu blinked, and questioned aloud, "Spider Eagle eggs?"

"Sharp as ever," Netero commented, approaching the drop off as well.

"_All you gotta do_," Menchi was yelling at them, "_is grab onto a strand… collect an egg… and climb back up._"

She hoisted herself back up, smiling cheekily at the assembled. "Then you just hafta boil it."

Killua chuckled, "Now _that's_ what I call a test."

"Beats cooking six ways from Sunday," Leorio remarked, grinning.

"Sounds like fun," Karasu commented, pulling off her own boots and leaping over the edge without a second thought. She clutched a strand of web tightly, bouncing a bit and then collecting an egg before scaling the side of the ravine back up to the top.

She boiled her egg with everyone else, humming under her breath as she waited for it to be done. Once it was, she shoved the whole thing into her mouth and giggled madly after swallowing it.

Several people looked at her incredulously (they'd enjoyed their eggs, but not _that_ much) and then the forty-two remaining applicants shuffled back onto the blimp.

Netero took the time to introduce himself properly to everyone, and then the news went out that everyone would be arriving at the location of the next exam at eight o' clock the following morning.

"Let's go explore, Gon!" Killua exclaimed, turning to go down the hallway.

"Definitely!" he replied, pausing only for a moment to turn to the charcoal-haired girl, "you wanna come, too, Karasu?"

She waved her hand at them, "I'll catch up to you later."

He nodded, and the two were off.

Leorio grumbled under his breath, "Kids with their energy! All I wanna do is crash."

"It has been a very long day, indeed," Kurapika agreed, slouching and glancing at Karasu as well, "what will you be doing, Karasu?"

She shrugged, and walked off without a word. Eventually, she was simply walking circles around the blimp. She'd passed Hisoka a few times, and had seen him build up a card pyramid only to knock it down and begin to laugh. Goosebumps had formed on her skin at the sound, but other than that she'd had no physical reaction. Once she got bored of this, she figured she might as well find Killua and Gon.

When she did find them, she almost laughed. They were both exhausted, dripping sweat and trying to get an inflated ball from Netero. She recognized the game almost at once, and smiled to herself before saying, "Kinda mean, don't cha think?"

"Karasu!" both boys exclaimed, glancing at her.

"They agreed to play," the old man replied, not looking at her.

"Of course they did," she agreed, watching the game progress to the point that Gon and Killua almost got the ball. Netero blew past them, though, resulting in Killua giving up.

"Why, Killua?" Gon questioned, grinning, "we almost had it that time!"

"You think so?" the white-haired boy questioned, "he hasn't even used his right hand or left leg yet! We could be at this a _year_ and never get that ball away from him."

Gon blinked. "_Really_?"

Karasu laughed, smiling at Killua as he grumbled and walked past her and out the door.

"Well, do you wanna play then, Karasu?" Gon asked, pointing at Netero.

She shook her head. "No thanks, Gon. Uncle and I used to play this game all the time. It gets boring after a while."

"Has he had to use his right hand against you?"

"And my left leg," Netero commented, balancing the ball on the index finger of his left hand, "she's very good at this game."

Gon looked between the two of them in awe.

"If I played, Gon," she said slowly, "it'd be a lot like using a cheat in a video game."

"Oh…."

"Anyway," Karasu continued, looking at the clock and frowning, "I think I'll see you two in the morning."

"Okay, Karasu." Gon waved at her, and she returned it before exiting the room.

The door slammed shut behind her, and Gon looked at Netero. "Are you two really related?"

"No," the chairman answered, "she's just most at ease with the name."

"She's… really strong, isn't she."

"Yes," Netero answered, "she is."

The following morning, the blimp touched down at a little after eight. The applicants got off, and looked around in confusion as they stood atop a tall tower.

"This is the top of Trick Tower," Netero's assistant explained, "you have seventy-two hours to reach the bottom."

Karasu let out a low whistle, looking around with an impassive look on her face. It seemed, to the outsiders looking at her, that she was quite unimpressed. When her eyes caught sight of Gon and Killua, who were watching a man try to climb down the outside of the tower, she began to bound over. Her foot came down heavily on the edge of a slat, and she felt her entire body drop.

She hit the ground hard, slightly confused. She looked up, and saw the ceiling above her. A frown inhabited her face, and she muttered, "Trap door."

On the wall was a plaque, and she looked at it for a long time before sighing.

**The Path of Self Preservation**.

"I don't particularly appreciate the _irony_ of this," she huffed, glancing at a shelf in the small room which held a single ticking wrist watch. She clipped it on after a moment of hesitation, and then narrowed her eyes as a door opened in the brick face of the wall to the right of the sign.

She heaved a sigh, clenched her fists, and then began her journey on The Path of Self Preservation.


	6. Six Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Six

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

Karasu had been traveling for three hours before she finally came upon her first challenge. She entered into a room with several swinging blades, and for a moment she did nothing but watch them pendulum back and forth. Then, she sighed and began forward. It took her twenty minutes to get all the way across the room without a scratch, but she wasn't allowed even a moment of rest.

As soon as she entered into the next hallway, the ceiling groaned and then began to lower. She hissed and then ran forward without a second thought. Her foot caught a tripwire, and she crashed to the ground. If this was supposed to slow her, though, it did not work. As soon as her hands hit the ground she flipped herself over back onto her feet, and was running once again. The hallway was long, and she had a feeling that anyone else would not have survived the lowering ceiling. As it was, though, she was only beginning to crouch down when she slid into the next room.

There were two halls on either side, one leading to the left and one to the right. She glanced between the two of them, and then headed to the right. As soon as she entered into the corridor, a door slammed down behind her to seal her choice. A bit annoyed now, she continued on, hoping that no one else had such an annoying path as this one.

She went on like that for quite a while, dodging obstacles and running to make it to the next room or hallway. It was, to her, annoying and boring at the same time. There was nothing trying about it, but she knew that if it had been someone like Leorio or Tonpa they wouldn't have made it past the bladed pendulums.

It had only been five hours since she'd started when she came upon a plaque reading **Final Preservation**.

The door into the room was ajar, and she narrowed her eyes before entering. It was completely empty. The ceiling was high, and the brick floor was vast. Directly across from her was another entryway, but she stopped to think. There was no way this wasn't a trick.

Karasu looked around carefully before taking a step forward. The brick where she'd taken a step began to crumble immediately, and she took her foot away to watch the floor fall in on itself. So that was the game they were playing at. The floor would collapse if she put too much weight on it.

With a tired huff, she lowered herself onto her stomach and began inching forward across the floor. She probably could've just run across, but somehow she figured that wouldn't be fair. Halfway across the musty brick, she realized the room was far larger than she'd initially figured. Her arms and legs were incredibly tired now, and her elbows and knees had been knocked against the floor so many times that they'd begun to bleed. By the time she'd reached the entryway on the other side of the room, her clothes were stained, her chin was bruised, and she was breathing heavily.

She stood slowly, careful with her weight, and walked through the doorway. The heel of her boot clipped a wire that she hadn't seen at the very bottom of the door, and she heard a sharp click. Her eyes widened, and heat filled the corridor. She hit the ground, scrambling forward and realizing too late that she was going face first down a smooth curving slide. Biting her tongue, she crashed against the wall as it made a sharp curve, and she struggled to resituate herself so that her feet were ahead of her. After a moment, it dawned on her that she was racing an explosion to the bottom.

A groan left her throat, sweat popping on her brow as she saw the final door. Her boot clad feet slammed into it, and she slid halfway across the room, before she twisted around back onto her stomach to stop herself. She glared heavily at the door which had closed with a loud booming sound, seeing small tongues of flame vanquished beneath the steel.

The intercom buzzed into life, "_First to Pass the Third Exam - Karasu, 13! Time Elapsed: Six Hours, Sixteen Minutes_!"

She released a sigh, and then sat up before removing the wrist watch and flinging it so hard against the wall that it shattered. The moment the technology met the brick, though, one of the doors slid open to reveal the next passed examinee.

"_Second to Pass the Third Exam - Hisoka, 44! Time Elapsed: Six Hours, Seventeen Minutes_!"

He smirked at her. "Looks like you beat me."

"Just barely," she answered, glaring and then gesturing to the gouges at his shoulder and waist, "looks like someone was out to get you."

"Yes," he agreed, "but he's dead now."

She nodded, and then said, "I'm gonna take a nap now. If you come near me, I'll slit your throat."

He chuckled, but obliged by sitting across from her, not quite leaning against the wall.

Karasu fed him one last glare, and then settled down to sleep. She could only hope Killua, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio would be joining her soon.


	7. Seven Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Seven

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

More than anything, Karasu didn't want to admit that she was getting along with Hisoka. It was a dreadful thought that made her a little sick and confused. The joker had a twisted sense of humor, but he was also remarkably patient.

That patience came in handy as he tried to teach Karasu card games for the remaining fifty-four hours.

How had this proposition occurred? She couldn't be sure herself, but she did know that Hisoka had a deck of cards, and she had nothing to entertain herself with other than plotting the man's death. And, though it didn't seem possible, the act _did_ get old after awhile.

But, playing cards with Hisoka happened to get her through the two and a half days they had to wait out. And a distraction was good when she was worrying about Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon. That dread did not halt until the last second, either.

She looked up from her hand (they were playing Old Maid at the moment) as the door slid open, and she was simultaneously swept up in despair and elation. Gon, Kurapika, and Killua walked through the door at the same time. Her stomach dropped. Where was Leorio? She was about to stand to ask them, when the tall brunette came through the door with Tonpa. Karasu released a relieved sigh, and then smiled.

"They made it."

Hisoka's grin never faltered (this made him hard to read, _always_) and he murmured, "Just barely."

She slapped her cards down and gave him a cheesy grin before hopping up and running at them. Hisoka chuckled, watching her throw her arms around four out of the five (to Tonpa she gave a suspicious glare) while shouting about passing into the next phase. They didn't look particularly surprised she'd beaten them, but Gon and Killua both seemed interested in the path she'd had to take. When they mentioned this, Hisoka saw a dark cloud pass over her features. It was only there for a moment, but it was enough to make the pretty girl inexcusably ugly and pitiable at the same time.

It shouldn't have to be said that this look only piqued his curiosity even more than her scars and the ability she'd shown while catching fish did. It was a dangerous look, and it was just vague enough to give none of the story away.

"_Time's up_!" The intercom silenced the small crowd, and everyone looked up at the small speaker. "_Number of Applicants Passed: 26, including one deceased_!"

Karasu grinned, her arms linked with both Gon and Killua as another door opened and the assembled Hunter Hopefuls exited through it. They breathed in the fresh air, muttering amongst themselves as they approached a short bespectacled man with a wild spray of dark hair.

"Congratulations," he spoke, arms crossed behind his back, "there are only two phases left. The Fourth Phase will take place on Zevil Island."

With this said, the man pointed into the distance, where a small lump protruded into the horizon.

"The first step, though, is to draw lots."

"_Lots_?" a unanimous Applicant questioned, "what will _that_ decide?"

The man answered immediately, gesturing to a box on a stand beside him. "Who to hunt… and who will hunt _you_."

Karasu frowned, her eyes narrowing.

The man placed a hand on the box and continued, "In this box are twenty-four numbered cards in correspondence to all the remaining Applicants."

"There are twenty-five of us," Karasu pointed out, nodding her head to everyone around her. "Either your math is wrong or someone is getting special treatment."

Whispers erupted from the group, and all eyes darted quickly between the man and the girl with Thirteen pinned to her chest.

He smiled at her, and replied, "It happens to be the second one, Thirteen. And the one getting special treatment happens to be _you_."

If possible, her eyes narrowed even further.

"The parameters given to you will be explained after everyone else has met the current requirements, but please remain calm for now," he said, turning his attention back to the group as a whole, "now, each of you will collect a card from the box, in the order in which you exited the tower. We will begin with the second to exit, the first being Thirteen."

Karasu nearly ripped her arms from Gon and Killua's. She gave an agitated sigh, and then turned and situated herself at the very back of the group. The two boys traded confused glances, and then shrugged.

It didn't take long for the twenty-four Applicants to gather cards, and the man began to talk again once everyone seemed to have drawn.

"The number on your card is the ID number of your target. The numbers have been recorded, so you may destroy the cards if you wish. Your objective is to collect badges. Your own badge, and the badge of your target are both worth three points each, provided you are able to keep yours on your person." The man paused, judging the crowd. "All other badges are worth one point, and in order to pass you must have a sum of six points. Understood?"

There were soft grumbles, but no outright objections.

"Alright, enjoy your stay on Zevil Island!" the man stated, smirking darkly. His voice rose over the growing clamor, and he called, "Thirteen, I will now explain your specific goal."

Karasu's head was down, and she squeezed through the crowd to come face to face with the man.

He smirked at her, unperturbed by the frightening glare in her beetle black eyes.

"Whose idea was it to give me a phase separate from everyone else's?" she questioned, voice low.

"The Chairman's," he replied. "It is the same basic principle; you merely have a target who is not of the Hunter Applicant Pool. I have been instructed to tell you that you are after _this_ man."

He pulled a picture from his pocket and handed it over. The image made her freeze up, and nearly stopped her heart.

"This is…."

"Chairman Netero said you were familiar with him."

Karasu did not reply right away. She took several deep breathes, her eyes squeezed shut and her knuckles turning white from the grip she had on the photo. When she felt she'd gathered herself enough to speak, her voice was almost too quiet to hear. "How do I… how do I prove I got him?"

"He will have a badge on him, which you will collect. As I said previously, it is the same basic principle. You will collect his badge and bring it with you on the Seventh Day to pass the Fourth Phase. He is Number Zero."

She nodded, and then crumpled the photo. Head still down, she turned to board the boat.

"And one last thing, Thirteen."

Karasu stopped, tilting her head only slightly in acknowledgement.

"Good luck. I do believe you'll need it."


	8. Eight Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Eight

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

The boat docked at Zevil Island two hours later, a voice coming over the intercom. "You will be released onto Zevil Island in order from shortest to longest times in the Third Phase. Everyone will go ashore one at a time in two-minute intervals. Everyone will remain on the island for one week to collect badges, and on the seventh day you will come to this landing site."

"First up," the announcer began, grinning far too brightly for the Hunter Exam, "is Thirteen, go!"

Karasu's eyes widened slightly, and then she nodded. She had spent her time on the boat avoiding all life, the face of the man she was to hunt burned into her mind. Clenching her fists, she walked onto the island with her head down and eyes peeking through her bangs.

Killua watched her go, frowning. She appeared to be physically shaken, and he thought that if something could scare Karasu like that then he certainly didn't want to tangle with it. His jaw dropped slightly when she took three steps forward, and then froze up. Her head snapped up, and her legs widened immediately. Her saw her hands unfurl into claw like poses, and not even a moment later she was gone, the bushes she ran through quivering in her wake.

"What do you think she saw?" Gon asked, looking at the spot she'd run through.

"I don't know," Killua answered, frowning.

"Hisoka may be my target, but I wouldn't wanna cross paths with anything that would make Karasu act like that."

The white-haired boy looked over at the brunette, and then nodded. "I feel the same."

Karasu hadn't seen anything, per se. What had put her on edge and bulleting into the woods was a distinct sound, and a prickle of her skin. She trusted her instincts, and she knew what those two things meant. Her target wasn't just in the vicinity; he was close enough to watch her.

She was moving too quickly to get a good look at her surroundings, but it wasn't needed. She could _feel_ him running from her, leading her deep into the island away from all the other Applicants. There was sensation everywhere around her, but it did not register.

And in an instant, she completely lost his signature. The goose pimples on her skin smoothed out, and she was suddenly aware that her entire body had been slashed by thin branches. A thin film of sweat was on her skin, and as she slowed down to stop, she realized she was also out of breath. He'd lead her on to wear her out, to feed off her excitement for only a moment before leaving without a trace.

And she'd fallen for it.

She cursed loud enough to send birds flying from the treetops, and then she kicked a tree so hard that the bark splintered. Her fists clenched and she looked around with a scowl on her face. She couldn't be sure if he was close, and that made her uncomfortable.

Karasu's eyes drifted up, and her head fell back. She'd never been on Zevil Island before, but there was something familiar about the scenery. The lush green trees that towered over your body, making you feel small and insignificant; the small patches of sunlight on an overgrown path and the spots of blue sky. She remembered having lived in a place much like Zevil Island. And that memory led to when she'd first met the man who was now her target, and that one led to his involvement with the death of her clan.

She hissed and shook her head, slapping both hands to her cheeks and then dropping down into a fetal position. Her fingers dug themselves into her scalp, her hair coming loose of the fairly secure knot it'd been in and floating down to tickle her neck and temples. Tears were swollen in both her eyes, and she realized with sickening certainty that this was more than just a phase for passing the Hunter Exam; this was the ability to face her fears and _survive_.

Karasu's head tilted back a bit and she searched the treetops for a moment. She would have to face this man, that was undeniable. For now, though, she was going to run from him just like the first time they met.

Killua didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about Karasu. He had been wandering for a total of four days now. He'd already collected his badge, and thus was simply waiting the rest of the week out. If he had to be honest, he was tempted to go looking for her, and see how she was doing.

He missed her. He missed Gon, too, but the separation he felt toward Karasu was different. When he thought of Gon and how he was surely faring, Killua figured he would be alright. Sure, his target was Hisoka, but the spiky-haired brunette could be remarkably surprising. That was something he learned during the Third Phase. On the other hand, when he tried to picture the charcoal-haired girl fighting off some muscular faceless beast, he could only feel a thrill of terror. And Killua did not like to be afraid.

At all.


	9. Nine Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Nine

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

Day Six. Zevil Island. The sun is just beginning to rise. Not that that makes any difference to Karasu and her quarry.

She'd been on her feet for the last seventeen hours, her target having decided that he was bored. He attacked her while she slept, and hadn't left her alone since. His hand had completely demolished the branch she'd been laying on, and it was by instinct alone that she managed to swing herself down onto the ground and away from her assailant. And then it had been a chase through the trees as they dodged attacks from each other.

And what had been the first words out of his mouth?

"You've changed quite a bit, eh, Karasu?"

That had angered her. She would've been furious if she hadn't just woken up and was still adjusting, but that was probably better for him.

"Well, it has been six years," had been her sleepy reply.

And then he had asked, "Do you remember me?"

"Of course." Karasu had been quiet for a bit, waking up enough to eye the badge pinned to the bottom of his shirt. She had sighed, feeling fear and sadness swell in her as she met his gaze. "Kohaishin."

The smile he'd given her had been particularly blinding, and it had not dropped all through their fighting.

And so it was, seventeen hours later, on day six of the Fourth Phase, that Karasu faced her fears.

Both of them were beaten and bloody, with bruises and torn clothing. And still that badge with the Number Zero was attached securely to his shirt. That is not to say she didn't come close several times to snagging it, because she did. He simply spun away or hit her at the best time to get away. The longer it took, though, the more worried she became.

And then, she got lucky. There was no other way to describe it. She set up a bomb on a branch at the beginning of their fight, and he had happened to forget about it. He had his weight on it for less than a second, but it was enough. He was thrown through the air in the explosion, and Karasu was on him in an instant, ripping the badge off him without a care and attaching it right next to hers. After that, panic settled and she put distance between herself and Kohaishin as if he were Hisoka.

At the action, he began to laugh and then congratulate her. As if this wasn't bad enough, this man who had been involved in killing her family praising her again after so long, he began to approach with a sunny bloodied smile. The fear that'd been set a bit at bay by adrenaline came tumbling back onto her shoulders, and she turned tail and ran.

She hid herself amongst the trees, far more quiet than she thought she could be in a situation like this. And she remained like that, sleeping idly on and off, until the sun set and rose once more. Once that happened, she had waited until a loud announcement was made across the entire island.

"_The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam is over! Please make your way to the landing site, no dawdling! Upon reaching the landing site you are neither hunter nor target, and attempts to transfer badges at this point will be treated with immediate disqualification!_"

Karasu let out a heavy breath, and then scrambled down the trunk of the tree onto the shaded floor. When her feet touched down, she checked her surroundings over once more before beginning toward the landing site at a relatively slow pace. Her badges, Thirteen and Zero, were crumpled in her fist, and they only way they'd be removed was by loss of limb.

She emerged from the trees, not really understanding how terrible she must've looked until she met the green eyes of Killua. His brows shot up into his curls, and his jaw fell slightly. And then, he rushed toward her and gripped her shoulders, examining her carefully.

"What happened to you?" he whispered, turning her head from side to side with his thumb.

Karasu opened her mouth to answer, but a familiar voice cut her off.

"You hid yourself well up until the end, Karasu~"

Killua saw her flinch and then turn to look over her shoulder. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the male approaching from the forest. His eyes were round and an alarming shade of orange, long lashes only making them more disconcerting. Spiky curls rose up off his head, seeming to change colors in the sunlight from a powder blue to white and back again. The male was tall and thin, with his hands deep in his pockets and a smile on his lips.

Most surprising, though, was the striking similarity between his own and this new man's appearance. They looked almost frighteningly the same, and he was quite shocked to find Karasu didn't see it.

"Kohaishin," she greeted, a prickle of unease seeping into her voice. "I won, and you lost."

"Right," this Kohaishin agreed, "but Netero promised me a ride back to the mainland. You don't think I _live_ here, do you, Karasu?"

"I guess not," she mumbled, backing up the tiniest bit when he began closing the difference even further.

"Was this your target?" Killua asked, stepping slightly in front of her without even thinking about it.

"Yes," she answered, looking between the two of them obliviously, "but I got his badge, so he shouldn't be harassing me anymore."

Killua noted that as she spoke her voice had become smaller. And he realized that the reason she looked so ragged, with her hair a mess, her skin slashed and bruised, and her clothes torn almost beyond real comprehension, was this man. He had rooted panic deep into her, and had sent her flying into the island growth on their first day. Simply enough, Killua hated him.

"I'm hurt, Karasu," he hummed; not looking offended at all, "I thought we were _friends_."

Killua wanted to snap at him, but the charcoal-haired girl's words were powerful.

"It's your fault my family is dead."

The smile fell from his face, almost as if it'd literally been slapped off. His joyous look was replaced with one of anger and knowing. "No, Karasu. … That would be _your_ fault."

She hissed and glared, her body becoming rigid. "They wouldn't be dead if _you_ had never come along."

Killua noticed that the two seemed to be on the edge of attack and murder. Bloodlust was leaking from every pore in their bodies, and he had no idea how they'd managed to keep it in check while they were trying to get at each other's badges.

"_You may now board the ship_!"

Both of them immediately relaxed, their glowers falling away and their tensed muscles smoothing out. Karasu narrowed her eyes once more, and then turned on her heel and headed for the ship. She went wordlessly, the only sign that she'd been there at all the deep ruts where her boot clad feet had been.

"So what's your name?" Kohaishin asked as he followed after Killua.

"Killua," he replied bluntly, scowling.

"Kill - oo- ah," the older boy hummed, "that's an interesting name."

He grunted, his fists clenching in his pockets.

There was a soft chuckle. "Are you jealous because I've known Karasu longer than you?"

"No," he quipped, his upper lip curling as he boarded the ship.

"_I_," Kohaishin sang, "_don't believe you_~"

Killua spun around, anger peaking. The Number Zero was gone, though, as if he'd disappeared with the wind.

He sighed and tried to gather himself, running a hand through his hair and then settling down against the side of the boat.

Karasu, meanwhile, was leaning over the side and staring down into the ocean. Her eyes were half closed, and her fingers were combing through her hair. In her mouth was a hair tie, and after a moment of twisting her locks up and around, she snapped the band securely into place. Once more it fanned out atop her head like the top of a pineapple. This, though, was only a small attempt to fix her appearance. Her outfit was still ripped, and there was blood caked to her pale skin.

"So you're blaming me for your family's death?"

She turned to look at Kohaishin, her hands wrapping around themselves and her fingers threading through each other.

"… Not entirely, no."

He placed his hand on the rail and looked out over the horizon, a sea breeze tousling his hair and clothing. His voice was soft when he spoke again, "You snapped, Karasu."

"You taught me to be dangerous," she countered. "I was just a kid; I could barely hurt a _fly_, Kohaishin! And then you came along and…" She shook her head and glared at the water.

"I saved your life," he finished, eyes downcast. "But I gave you power in doing so."

"My Nen." Her voice was just above a whisper. "You taught me how to use it, and in the end that caused the death of everyone I ever loved."

"You snapped," he repeated, "and I had nothing to do with that."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked over at him with a pained expression. There was terror and anxiety in her eyes. "They were going to kill you."

"That's why you…?"

She nodded carefully, and then muttered, "And not a day goes by that I wonder if I made the right choice!"

"You killed them to save me?" Kohaishin repeated, the shock evident in his eyes.

Karasu slammed her fist down on the railing, glaring at him with such ferocity that it made the male weak. "Yeah. And now we're even."

With those words, she departed from him, her head held high.


	10. Ten Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshirhiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Ten

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

"Interesting that seven out of ten are rookies this year, hm?"

The talk of the Hunter Exam Proctors had finally turned to the participants. It was Chairman Netero that started the conversation, looking quite impressed.

"Does that happen often?" Buhara questioned, working on his plate of food.

"This'll be the fourth since I became Chairman," Netero replied, ignoring the awed looks of his Proctors.

"Anyone know what the Final Phase will be?" Satotz questioned, looking around the table.

Buhara and Menchi glanced at each other and then shrugged.

"I thought I'd try something new," Netero announced, "but first, I'd like to interview all of the remaining Examinees."

* * *

"What happened in the forest?"

Karasu looked up from her hands, meeting Killua's gaze for a moment before dropping her stare back to her digits.

"What do you mean?" she asked, playing with her fingers.

Killua sighed and then moved to sit down beside her. Resting his back against the wall, he watched her from the corner of his eye. "On Zevil Island. What happened between the two of you?"

"We fou-"

"From the beginning," he corrected immediately.

She huffed but began again. "When I stepped onto the Island, I already knew he was my target. And it only took a split second for me to feel him there, and I stopped thinking. Do you know what that's like?"

He didn't answer, but she continued on without his input.

"I ran into that forest faster than I've ever… well, faster than I've ran in a long time." Karasu began to wring her hands. "I had no idea where I was when he just… disappeared. Gone."

"That's interesting."

"It was terrifying," she corrected, "and I panicked as soon as I realized what I'd done. I'd gone into unfamiliar territory after my target, and now he had the upper hand. So, I ran away, and I hid for as long as I could."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Killua raise a brow. She chuckled sadly and pulled her knees to her chest, settling her hands atop her kneecaps and resting her forehead in her palms. "I probably would've stayed on that Island forever if he didn't come after me while I was sleeping."

There was a long silence in the hallway, and Killua looked away from her. He watched the shadows shifting across the opposite wall and floor, changing as clouds drifted across the sun.

"I didn't want to face him because I was guilty," she told him, her voice becoming thick. "I was angry at him, too. He should've just let me die out there."

Killua was sure he wasn't supposed to hear the last part, as her voice became incredibly small, but he'd been trained well.

"I come from a family of assassins," he projected, wanting suddenly to take the spotlight off her so she could breathe easy. "When I become a Hunter, I'm going to bring all of them in for the bounty on their heads."

Her head lifted from her hands, and he could see her eyes were glossy. She was smiling at him, though.

"What's your last name? Maybe I've heard of them."

"Zaoldyeck."

She was quiet for a moment; thoughtful, even. Finally, she muttered, "I wanted to be a Hunter so I could kill Kohaishin without being punished for it. I knew I'd beat myself up enough afterwards that it didn't seem fair for the government to take a turn at it, too."

"I guess that makes some sense."

"I've heard of your family." Karasu looked up at the ceiling, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I also knew you were different from the moment I laid eyes on you. You looked simple and innocent, and I knew you must've been a monster to play such a daring hand."

"You did the same thing, Karasu."

She opened her mouth to argue, but the intercom above them spat loudly. "_The Chairman is now holding interviews. When your number is called, please report to the Reception Room, Deck Two. First, Number Thirteen. Number Thirteen, Please_."

The charcoal-haired girl stood, brushing pointlessly at her clothing as she did so. She gave Killua a half-hearted salute and then set off without a word.

When she reached the Reception Room, she was greeted by Netero.

"Sit down, Little Niece," he told her, gesturing toward the empty pillow on the floor. He was sat atop a similar one, and between them was a low table.

Karasu settled onto the pillow, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap.

"What've you got planned, Uncle?" she mused, smiling.

"You'll just have to wait and see, now won't you." He wagged his finger at her and then produced a clipboard. "Now, tell me, who interests you most amongst the remaining Examinees?"

"Interests me?"

"Who do you want to fight, Karasu?"

Her fists clenched on the hem of her skort, and her smile became strained. "Honestly?"

Netero nodded patiently.

"Hisoka and Killua. Or…," her brows furrowed and she put a finger to her lips. "Forty-four and… ninety-nine, I think they are."

"Like you'd forget something like that," Netero muttered, chuckling and marking something on his clipboard. "And who would you like to fight the least?"

"All the others," she answered immediately, her fingers drumming on her kneecap. "They're good - they have to be to have made it this far - but they are irrelevant. The numbers are fifty-three, one-ninety-one, two-ninety-four, three-oh-one, and four-oh-three through five."

Netero nodded, noting her answer. "All right, that'll be all, then."

She raised a brow and shrugged, standing up and leaving the room with her arms crossed behind her head.

It didn't take too terribly long for all the interviews to be done, and the announcement over the intercom made it clear. "_We appreciate your patience. The interviews are done with, now please enjoy the ride as we travel to the site of the Final Phase_."


	11. Eleven Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Eleven

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

After three days of traveling, the Hunter Hopefuls arrived at the site of the next phase. The blimp they'd been riding in landed on the top of a committee run hotel, and Netero led the ten of them to a large empty meeting hall.

"Alright," the Chairman called, standing in front of all the applicants, "the final exam will consist of a one-on-one contest arranged in a tournament style competition."

To the side of him, he revealed a large board which had the match-ups painted on it. Karasu furrowed her brows. Her first match would be number 53, and if she won that she'd fight either Gon or number 294. She scratched the back of her neck and sighed.

"Now, while this may appear daunting, you only need one win to pass."

"So the losers move on, and it's the winners that drop off?" Kurapika questioned, eyeing the board.

"That's correct!" Netero exclaimed. "So the final round will leave one winner and one loser."

"So, what you're saying is there will only be one loser?" number 294 questioned.

"Yes, which also means all of you have more two chances at winning. Are there any other questions?"

"Why are the match-ups so off-balance?" The question came from number 191.

"The matches reflect your exam record. Basically, the one with the best record has the most chances to win."

Killua scowled. "I'm not convinced. What else is involved?"

"Not telling."

Karasu burst out laughing at that, and Netero waited for her to quiet down before continuing.

"You're ultimately judged on three things: physical ability, mental ability, and overall impression. Because all of you have reached the finals, the first two categories have little to improve on. What we're looking at now is impression, and that is what can't be explained by criteria. We judge the potential of all of you as hunters, and the match-ups reflect that."

From the corner of her eye, Karasu could see Killua clench his fists and jaw.

"Now," Netero began again," there _are_ a few rules. You may use any weapon you desire, and you win when your opponent admits defeat. On the other hand, if you happen to kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. That will end the exam, everyone will pass, and you will fail. _Let the final exam begin_!"

A man dressed in a suit and sunglasses approached from the side, holding his hands out. "The first match will be between Hanzo and Gon. I am Masta; I will be referee and witness."

"So we meet at last," Hanzo greeted. "Did you enjoy watching my fourth phase?"

"You knew, then."

"Of course. Examiners followed all the applicants during the fourth phase. You weren't hard the miss; I bet others noticed as well."

Gon and Leorio shared similar expressions of surprise. Karasu dropped her head in shame.

"You didn't notice?" Killua asked, eyeing her as Hanzo continued to talk to Masta.

"I was too caught up in Kohaishin to notice anyone. I probably could've been approached by _Hisoka_ and I wouldn't have known it."

The two turned their attention back to the competitors as the match began.

Gon dashed from side to side in an attempt to confuse Hanzo, but the man kept up easily and landed a hard blow to the back of Gon's neck. Killua huffed and rolled his eyes as Karasu gave a low whistle. Hanzo sat Gon up, speaking to him before smacking him upside the head. Gon threw up, coughing loudly as Karasu wrinkled her nose.

"Say you're beaten."

Gon shook his head, "Never."

"_Gon, he's not fooling around! Just give up and try again next round!_" Leorio shouted.

"Leorio, if it were you, would you give up?" Kurapika countered, frowning.

"Of course not!" he snarled. "But it's _not_ me, it's Gon!"

Karasu leaned over to Killua as the two continued to argue. "I wanna point out that no one here is going to be fooling around."

"Agreed," Killua hummed. He held his hand out to her. "If you lose and we end up in a match together, you're still not gonna fool around, right?"

She took his hand and shook it. "Just as long as you're not gonna be fooling around either."

They lapsed into a three hour silence as Gon continued to be beaten to a pulp. Leorio lunged, "_Y'need someone to pick on? Try me on for size, ya slime ball_!"

Masta blocked his way. "Any interfering from an outside party will not be tolerated. If you insist on intervening, Gon will be disqualified."

"It's okay, Leorio," Gon huffed, standing up. "I'm a little bruised, but I'm still going strong."

Hanzo sent him a glare and smacked him to the ground. He pushed the smaller boy onto his stomach and sat on his back, jerking his left arm back.

"I'll break your arm. I mean it, just give up."

Gon gritted his teeth. "No!"

A loud snap echoed through the silence. Karasu leaned toward Killua again. "That was a pretty clean break. Gon lives through this and his arm'll be better off."

"You think he'd really kill Gon?" Killua asked in return, raising a brow.

Karasu shook her head. "I'd believe he's killed people before, but I don't think he'd put his Hunters License at stake. Besides, if he did kill Gon, I'm sure Leorio and Kurapika would take care of him." She gestured to where the two were talking, looking livid.

"I am a Shinobi, in order to master the skills of ninjutsu I've been training since birth. I have not once broken training in the eighteen years since. I've killed by the time I was your age." As Hanzo spoke, he went into a one armed handstand, slowly decreasing the number of fingers he was using to hold himself up.

Killua snorted. "Took him that long?"

Karasu gave a sad smile. "Lucky guy."

"There is no way you can take me in a fight. Admit defeat."

Gon stood, his left arm limp, and nailed a hard kick to Hanzo's face. He hissed in pain, falling back down. "You talk too muh-much."

"_That's right, Gon! Put the hurt on - murder 'im_!"

Kurapika gave Leorio an irritated look. "Why, so he can be disqualified?"

A moment later, Hanzo revealed a blade and offered a deal to Gon. "Fine. If a break won't do it, I'll amputate. Give up, or you'll lose a leg, got it?"

"I don't want to lose my leg, but I don't want to lose either," Gon told him, frowning. "We'll have to find another way."

Karasu chuckled into her hand, a small smile worming its way onto her face. "He's gonna win this one."

"There's plenty Hanzo can do to make him forfeit," Killua remarked.

"Yeah," she agreed, "but he won't do it. This match is Gon's."

And, just as Karasu had predicted, Hanzo admitted defeat only moments later. She gave Killua a grin, and he scowled at her before looking to the Shinobi.

"Why did you decide to lose?"

"Decide to…?"

"Killua, I don't think it would be that simple," Karasu mumbled.

Killua pointedly ignored her. "There's tons of things you could've done to make him give in without killing him."

"Maybe," Hanzo agreed. "When I torture someone, I know that he'll end up despising me. But, I didn't see any of that in Gon's eyes, like it didn't matter to him. Really, I kinda like that kid now."

Killua grunted as Kurapika and Hisoka approached the circle. They fought for a moment before Hisoka whispered something to the blonde, after which he conceded defeat. Up next were Hanzo and Pockle, which quickly ended with Hanzo emerging victorious. Following them was Hisoka and Bodoro, and while Hisoka once more whispered something to his challenger, he was victorious.

It was then Karasu's turn.


	12. Twelve Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Twelve

Fan-fiction for: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

Karasu stood in front of Pockle, her arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to one side. She didn't think it'd take much to make him give in; he'd nearly sobbed aloud when Hanzo threatened to break his arm like Gon's.

On the other hand, she didn't want to seem particularly threatening, either. Should she make it seem like an accident? Pain him enough for victory, but not enough to frighten people? As she was thinking it over, though, Masta had called the battle to start, and Pockle was wasting no time.

He punched her in the face, and she stumbled back. The hit had come as enough of a surprise to knock her down, and she ended up knocking her tailbone on the ground. Tears welled in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet. She could see the guilty expression on Pockle's face, and she could hear one or two people hissing at him for hitting a little girl. So that's how it was gonna be.

She sniffed loudly and held a hand to her cheek. It really hadn't hurt that bad, and she doubted it would even bruise, but she needed to make Pockle distressed enough that he'd rather give in than throw another punch.

Killua crushed that plan with two simple words.

"Quit faking."

Pockle blinked, watching her reaction. Karasu flinched and then swung around to face him, yelling.

"Shut up, Killua! I had a plan, and it was going perfectly fine until you had to go and blab and I'll _kill_ you, _ya hear me_?" She waved her fist at him, using her other hand to nurse her back.

"Hey! I'm your opponent!" Pockle punched at her again, but this time she caught his fist and twisted it behind his back. He yowled loudly, but she simply shoved him away from her. He nursed his shoulder as he turned back around to face her.

She stretched her arms over her head, wincing at her back. She hunched over, bending to dig a blade from her boot. Pockle flinched away from her.

"Is that a scalpel?"

Karasu made no move to answer him, choosing instead to tackle him to the ground and sit on his stomach. She held one arm to the ground with her foot, and the other she gripped in her hand.

"Wuh-_what are you doing_?"

Her eyes met his, and then she placed the blade to the pad of his thumb. He had no time to say anything before she sliced his thumbprint clean off. Pockle yelled and squirmed beneath her as she went through the rest of the fingers on the hand she held, but he had not yet given up.

She released the hand she was done with, slammed it to the ground with her foot, and then started on the next one. He fought harder this time, but to no avail. She let him up when she was done removing his fingerprints, and she found he'd bled onto the floor and her boots. She hardly cared.

"Your toes are next if you don't give up."

He clenched his fists, blood dripping onto the floor, and then he swung at her again. She was not ready for it, instincts or not, and she felt her nose break. Blood gushed down her front, and she pinched the bridge and tilted her head back, thick tears dribbling down her cheeks. She cursed under her breath and then kicked at him, hitting him square in the stomach. He collapsed to his knees, coughing weakly.

"You bastard," she growled, stomping on his back. Pockle fell forward, attempting to scramble away from her. This time the heel of her boot came down hard on the back of his hand. He howled.

She stomped on the hand repeatedly, scowling and yelling at him to forfeit. When he finally did speak, his voicewas quiet. The words were defeat, though, and Karasu backed off. It wasn't until Masta announced her victorious that she returned to Killua's side, nursing her broken nose and injured tailbone.

"That wouldn't have worked on me," he hummed as Leorio requested a postponement for his match.

"Good thing I didn't have to face you then, huh?" she muttered, cracking her nose back into place and snorting blood back into her skull. Karasu paused and then looked him in the eye. "And… just what would you have done to make me cry uncle?"

He simply smirked; hands stuffed in his pockets, and entered the circle. Pockle approached on the other side, looking irritable and a little frightened. But, as soon as Masta called the start of the match, Killua conceded and went back to his spot beside Karasu. She raised a brow at him.

"I would break your fingers," he whispered as Netero and Masta discussed the next match. "And then your toes, and then your arms, and your legs. And I'd keep going until you gave in."

She could tell he meant it, too. There was a mean glint in his eyes, one she hadn't seen before. He'd been kind to her, and he had been rude to her before, but never so… so _arrogant_.

Karasu turned her whole body to face him, clenching her fists at her side. "I would slice your fingers off joint by joint. And then your nose, and your ears, and your tongue."

Before Killua could reply, and she knew he wanted to from the growing smirk on his lips, Netero announced that the next match would be between Killua and Gittarackur because Bodoro was not yet fit to face Leorio. He gave her a fleeting grin as his match began.

"Been awhile, Kil."

Killua's brows furrowed as Gittarackur removed a pin in the side of his head. His face bubbled and twisted, a mop of dark hair burst from his scalp. He looked completely different, his dark eyes half-lidded and soulless, his face fragile and almost doll-like. When Karasu's eyes landed on him, she blushed.

Killua looked like a fish out of water, his mouth gaping and sweat beading on his temples. "Illumi?"


	13. Thirteen Per Cent

"Grayscale" Chapter Thirteen

Fan-fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

The water ran from the faucet into Karasu's cupped hands. She brought her face down to the sink and splashed her cheeks, trying to wash away the blood. Her eyes met her reflection in the mirror, and she heaved a sigh. She looked terrible.

When she thought she was relatively clean, she exited the bathroom. As she did, she saw Satotz going into the infirmary, where Gon was currently still sleeping.

"Ah, Satotz?" she called, jogging over to him when he paused.

"Yes, Karasu?"

Karasu hesitated, unable to meet the man's eye. "Gon, um, about Killua…? Could you maybe let me tell him? I mean, about what happened with Illumi and everything? I just… I think it'd be better if he heard it from me…."

Satotz placed his hand on her shoulder and nodded. "I understand, Karasu. I'll let him know he'll have to ask you if he wants the story."

"He'll want the story," she whispered, running a hand down her face and wincing at her nose. "And I'll tell him."

He nodded. "You should probably head to orientation now."

Karasu turned to look down the hallway and then nodded. She bid her farewell and then headed toward the conference room being used for orientation. Of the seats available, she chose one in the middle row in the very back. Gon would more than likely see her first, and she would whisper him the story while the uses of their Hunter Licenses were explained to them.

Maybe a quarter of the spiel had been told by the time Gon walked through the door, his arm in a cast. His eyes landed immediately on Karasu, and everyone's eyes followed. She stood up and walked toward him, taking him by the arm and leading him out of the room. She couldn't tell him in there, not with Illumi sitting so close.

"What happened to Killua?"

"He was disqualified."

Gon's brows furrowed. "Disqualified? But why?"

"Well," she said slowly, "do you remember Bodoro?"

Gon nodded.

Karasu rubbed the back of her neck and leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms over her chest and steeled herself, looking her friend in the eye. "He killed him."

"What…?"

"Let me explain," she muttered. "Gittarackur was actually Illumi, Killua's older brother. It happened that Killua went up against him after his match with Pockle, and Illumi kind of… threatened him.

"See, Illumi told Killua that he wouldn't make a good Hunter, and that his calling in life was as an assassin. He said that Killua had no passion in him, and the only thing that gave him joy in life was killing people. … When Killua told Illumi that there were things he wanted to do in life, and that one of those things was being friends with you, Illumi told him he was incapable of friendship."

"That's an awful thing to say," Gon replied.

Karasu nodded gravely. "But then he decided to prove it. Leorio told Killua not to worry, because you already thought you two were friends, and Illumi said that wouldn't do and that he'd have to kill you."

Gon's eyes widened by a fraction.

"Killua was a wreck, especially after Illumi told him the only way to save you was for him to fight and win. Killua caved. He forfeited, and Illumi told him he was just kidding, that he wouldn't touch you, and that it just proved Killua wasn't qualified to make friends."

Gon's eyes narrowed and he brushed past Karasu to go back into the meeting room.

"He shut down," she whispered, "but before he killed Bodoro…"

The door slammed shut behind Gon. Karasu took a shuddering breath.

"He told me he was sorry."

She stood in the empty hallway, staring at the floor and thinking of that last moment. She hadn't told Gon about how Illumi had threatened her life as well, she hadn't felt the need. He didn't need to be worried about her.

After a moment she turned and entered back into the meeting hall. As she did, the first thing she heard was Gon saying, "Karasu told me."

Every eye turned to where she was standing, and she took in the scene before her. Gon had Illumi's wrist in his hand, and from the looks of things he'd completely crushed the bones.

Illumi glanced up at her, his black eyes blank as ever. Karasu's body became heated as he murmured, "And I suppose she'll be going with you as well?"

"Of course," Gon answered, scowling still.

"Going…?"

"You know, you make it sound as if he were kidnapped. He walked out of his own accord," Illumi hummed, eyes still focused on the gray-haired girl at the top of the stairs.

"_No_," Gon argued, glaring at the dark-haired man. "You manipulated him. You kidnapped his _spirit_."

Leorio and Kurapika shifted slightly, as if ready to jump up at the slightest sign of foul play. Hisoka leaned back in his seat, a smirk on his face. Illumi continued to watch Karasu, whose eyes darted across the room, settling on everything and everyone but him. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Netero spoke.

"Something we were _just_ about to discuss, Gon."

Gon's attention was diverted from Illumi, and he looked at the Chairman as if just realizing his presence in the room. Illumi himself stared a moment longer at the gray-haired girl before turning his attention to the man talking as well.

"Both Kurapika and Leorio have lodged complaints stating that Killua's failure was caused by outside influence."

Karasu thought the term outside influence was a bit vague, but she also found she was a bit too distracted by the assassin in the room to listen to the conversation that was being held about it. Something about hypnosis on Kurapika's end, and something about how Leorio thought he was the one who should've been disqualified instead of Killua. All Karasu heard was static and all she saw was Gon's hand tightening still around Illumi's wrist.

After listening to Pockle assess the situation between Kurapika and Hisoka, Gon huffed and stated aloud, "All of this is pointless. Everyone here is passed and should either be satisfied with it, or do what they want to _be_ satisfied. There's not a question of whether Killua would pass if he took the examine again next year, but this year he's _failed_."

At this, his attention turned back to Illumi, and the glare settled back into his eyes. "But, if Killua is a killer because you've made him one, Gittarackur, then I'll _never _forgive you."

Illumi was unmoved by this statement. "What does your forgiveness mean to me?"

"Easy, I'll take Killua away, and you'll never see him again."

Karasu's eyes widened as she watched Illumi's arm rise slowly up from his side. His fingers were splayed, and he began to move his hand closer to Gon's face. Her breath hitched, and she very nearly screamed at him to move, to flee as fast as he could lest he be ripped apart by the monster before him.

There was no need. Gon sensed the danger, releasing Illumi's wrist and bouncing back up the stairs closer to Karasu. Relief washed over her, and she bounded down the stairs to wrap him up in her arms, afraid that if she were to let him go he'd put himself in danger again. Her body boiled as she felt Illumi's eyes settle on her again.

"Well! Now that that's settled, shall we continue with the briefing?" Netero questioned, interrupting the tense moment. Karasu sighed, pulling Gon with her up the steps and to a seat near Kurapika and Leorio. As the Chairman's assistant explained the benefits of having a Hunter's License, Karasu felt her skin crawl. Illumi had not let up his gaze, and now in addition to it she could feel Hisoka watching her and Gon both. Beneath the table, she held tight to Gon's hand, his fingers threaded through hers, a small bit of comfort in the heavy room.

When the explanation was over, and everyone had been awarded their Hunter Licenses, Gon stood and, Karasu's hand still in his, began to approach Illumi again.

"Gittarackur, where did Killua go?"

Karasu bit her tongue, wondering if Gon would ever learn to beat around the bush. Her face felt as if it were on fire as Illumi looked the two of them over, his eyes pausing for a moment on their entwined fingers, up to Karasu's flushed face, and then over to Gon's determined gaze.

"I don't recommend following him," he replied evenly.

"Don't give me that! Killua is my friend!" Gon snapped. Then, he seemed to take the statement into consideration for a moment. He squeezed Karasu's hand before amending, "Killua is _our_ friend, and we'll get him back."

Nothing was missed by Illumi's intense gaze. He sighed and then put a finger to his lower lip, looking up at the ceiling in mock thought.

"Well, since you can't get there anyway, Kil just went home, to the summit of Kukuroo Mountain."

That seemed to end the conversation, as Gon nodded and then pulled Karasu away to Kurapika and Leorio. Netero, meanwhile, concluded the seminar and dismissed the lot of them, defining them as equals.

As the group of Amateur Hunters left, his eyes settled on the group of four. He did not divulge any of them with the information that the Hunter Exam was not quite over.

No, they'd figure that out for themselves.


	14. Fourteen Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

Sorry for the long wait, you guys. I was in a tiny rut with this story but now I'm back. Enjoy! And thanks for the review, favorites, and alerts!

"Grayscale" Chapter Fourteen

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

It was a three day trip to reach the Republic of Padokea in the Dentora region, and Karasu had to admit she was looking forward to a small bit of alone time once they touched down and got a hotel room. She wanted to take a shower and a nap on solid ground, and she wanted to buy some new clothes, too. She looked like a miscreant with her unwashed hair, bruises, bandages, and attire so torn that it nearly exposed past scars.

On top of that, she had spent three straight days in close quarters of the boys, and needed a bit of a break from Gon's naïvety, Kurapika's mother hen demeanor, and Leorio's often lewd jokes. It was nearly nine o' clock at night when they all got off the airship and onto a train to take them into town, and Karasu was determined to be left alone once they reached the hotel.

"We should go straight to the mountain," Gon piped up, squinting through the window at the looming silhouette of Kukuroo.

"Gon, I swear to God that if we don't get a hotel room and I don't get a shower or a full night's sleep, I will _maim_ you," Karasu seethed in response, eyes narrowing as he visibly deflated.

"Karasu's right, we should get a hotel room and make a plan in the morning," Leorio stated, looking out at the mountain as well.

"We're just here to see a friend," Gon muttered in reply, sulking with his forehead pressed against the window and his lower lip protruding in a pout.

The rest of the ride was in silence, and following that it didn't take long to find a hotel and get a room. It turned out that one of the perks of having a Hunter License was that you didn't need reservations.

As Karasu trotted away from the group, her card key in hand so she could be ready to open her room door and get into the shower, she heard Kurapika ask the receptionist about the Zaoldyeck house on Kukuroo summit. As she slipped into the elevator, she figured she could be briefed in the morning.

She got out on the fourth floor and turned right, finding her room and entering quickly. She locked the door behind her as she turned on the light and tossed the card key onto the kitchen counter. She kicked off her boots, and after this she made a bee line for the bathroom.

As she waited for the water to warm up she examined herself in the mirror between going through all the complimentary items. There were bags under her eyes, but nothing a full eight (or twelve) hours of sleep wouldn't fix, and her hair hung greasy in her face. Washing it would likely be the highlight of her day, as well as shaving with the razor she found in the basket of soaps and toothpaste. She shuddered, realizing she hadn't even _thought_ about her teeth. She brushed them three times before stripping off her stinking socks and wiggling out of her skort.

The socks would've been fine with a washing or two, but the clothe of the skort was ripped far worse than Karasu had initially thought. She realized the same about both of her shirts, and after a long internal debate, decided all her articles of clothing would have to go in the trash. She stepped beneath the steaming stream of water with a heavy heart, going to scrub herself clean almost immediately after the hot water worked out some of her sore muscles.

Once she was done, she toweled off feeling much better than she had in weeks. She wrapped herself up in a bathrobe and looked through all the cabinets and dressers in the room, finding all of them empty. For a moment she thought she should go out and purchase new clothes right then and there, but then she spotted the bed. She grinned wide, crawling beneath the blankets and curling up in a tight ball. It took only a moment for her to fall asleep.

She crawled out of bed the following morning at eight. She stumbled back to the bathroom in a daze, brushing her teeth again before pulling her hair back in its pineapple bun. She cinched the belt of the bathrobe tighter around her frame and headed back out to the foyer. She slipped the card key into the pocket of the bathrobe and then put her boots on, realizing how ridiculous she must've looked and not caring even a little bit. Maybe her Hunter License would get her new clothes.

It was a short elevator ride to the lobby, and an even shorter walk to the receptionist, who looked her up and down with an eye of disapproval.

"Do you know the closest place to buy clothes is?" she asked immediately. "Mine are beyond repair."

The clerk's face softened slightly, and then she gave directions to the nearest place. Karasu thanked her and then trudged out of the hotel into public. Many people looked her way, which she felt was something to be expected. It wasn't everyday that people wandered around in bathrobes and boots, after all.

At the shop the receptionist had directed her to, Karasu purchased black socks and black shorts the same length as her skort had been. To go with this she bought a white turtle neck and a black V-neck short sleeved shirt. She was disappointed to have her hands exposed, but was also not willing to purchase gloves to cover them up. Karasu didn't like the outfit as much as her previous one, but she felt it would function the way it needed to and headed back to the hotel. She returned the robe to her room and then found Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon in the lobby.

"There's a bus tour that'll take us to Kukuroo Mountain," Gon said upon her approach, and he grinned so widely she wondered how his face didn't split. "It leaves at noon!"

"We've got some time, why don't we go find something to eat?" Leorio proposed, talking over his growling stomach.

"Sounds good," Karasu answered with a shrug, following the three as Kurapika scouted out a restaurant.

The four ate, covering the costs with their Hunter Licenses, and when they were done they headed for the tour bus. Karasu boarded, a milkshake in a to-go cup cooling her hand as she took the aisle seat beside Gon. Leorio and Kurapika sat behind them, looking around at the genuine tourists and then the shifty looking men toward the back of the bus.

The tour guide babbled on, Karasu not bothering to listen as she sipped her drink through a straw, sharing occasionally with Gon and looking out the window. About a half an hour into the tour, the bus pulled up to the front gate of the Zaoldyeck property, and everyone on the bus got out to look at it.

"And this is as far as we go, as we have no further access. There is, however, a service door near the guard booth," the guide hummed, gesturing to a small building next to the humongous gates.

"_What_? We're nowhere _near_ the mountain!" Leorio shouted, pointing to the far away summit.

"True," the guide agreed, "but the mountain and all surrounding forest belongs to the Zaoldyeck family."

Leorio turned to look again at the great expanse of vegetation between the front gate and the mountain, and it seemed he'd reached a conclusion about it when he finally let out a low whistle.

Gon raised his hand into the air. "Excuse me, how do you gain access?"

Karasu snorted and the guide's eyebrow twitched.

"Didn't you hear me, kid? They're a bunch of murderers, you don't _want_ access."

Two suspicious men materialized behind the guide, one towering over her while the other looked generally creepy.

"It's a ruse," the larger one stated, "they remain hidden to create mystery."

"I hear there's a hundred million reward just for their mug shots," the smaller one interjected.

The two approached the guard station, continuing to talk.

"They rely on mystique to shield them."

"The reality is probably far less perilous or interesting."

The guard looked up when he heard the crack of his door being broken off its hinges, and he scrambled out of his seat as the larger man entered into the small station. The large man reached out and picked up the guard by his front collar hoisting him into the air and demanding to be let past the gate. The guard was shaken so hard the key to the gate fell from his pocket, and the large man picked it up triumphantly.

"Are you alright?" Gon asked, helping the guard, who'd been tossed once they thugs got the key.

"I'm fine, but _those_ two are about to meet Mike," he grumbled.

"What's a Mike?" Karasu asked between slurps of her milkshake.

At this, the gate creaked open and a skeleton which looked suspiciously like the larger man peeked out. The tourists and guide shrieked when the remains of the smaller man fell out from behind the door, followed by a large misshapen paw. A snarl sent the pack running back to the bus.

"The master hates it when Mike snacks between meals," the guard grumbled, running a hand over his balding head.

"You idiots, get on the bus!" Karasu and Gon glanced at the man who'd yelled at them and then at the bus.

"No, I think we'll stay here," Gon answered, "thanks, though."

The tourists fed the group a disbelieving look, but needed no further encouragement to leave.

The group gathered inside the guard's post, and Karasu declined the offer of tea. The guard explained that everyone who tried to get past Mike, the Zaoldyeck's guard dog, were looking for the bounty. No one had ever claimed to be friend of a family member. It was then revealed that the key was bogus, and the gate wasn't locked at all.

Leorio ran outside of the building, standing before the gate for a moment before pushing forcefully against it. It did not budge.

"Try lifting it," Gon offered, making Karasu nearly choke on her milkshake.

"You're not strong enough," the guard stated.

"I'm stronger than _you_!" Leorio snapped, only to have the guard raise a brow.

"Its real name is The Testing Gate," he explained as he removed his over shirt. He breathed deeply and stood before the gate. "If you cannot open it you are deemed unworthy to enter."

With that, he pushed the gate open.

Karasu's jaw dropped as the guard stepped back and the door swung shut.

"The door shuts automatically so you have to move quickly." He slipped back into his shirt. "I'm getting old though, so I won't be able to do it for much longer."

"But… wouldn't you still get attacked by Mike?" Karasu asked, gnawing on her straw.

The guard shook his head. "He's been given the order not to attack anyone who enters through the gate."

She nodded and looked toward the gate.

"The first doors weigh two tons each, and they double with each set of doors," he explained.

"How could _anyone_ open… First doors?" Leorio questioned.

"There are seven in all."

Karasu looked up to realize there were indeed seven gates. She whistled under her breath.

"When master Killua returned he opened three."

Karasu's whistle was cut off short. She went back to her milkshake.

She spaced out, drinking her milkshake and thinking about the Hunter Exam. Killua had said he'd have broken every bone in her body to get her to cry uncle. She hadn't thought he was joking, but now she knew that he would've been completely capable of such a thing.

She jumped when Gon tapped her on the shoulder.

"Come on, Karasu, we're going in," he said with a smile.

"When was that decided?" she asked, looking around in confusion.

"Just now, weren't you listening?"

"…Of course I was."

She followed the group through the gate the guard opened again. They stood in a clearing, tall trees looming close together ahead of them. Karasu saw the treetops shaking, and then a monster emerged.

He flopped down in front of the group and placed his head on his paws.

"Understand now, Gon? Mike is a highly trained beast. There's no getting through to him."

Gon nodded slowly. Karasu, not usually given to honesty, had to admit she thought Mike rather cute, if albeit a humongous beast that would probably tear out her throat if she looked at him wrong. She thought he rather fit in among the Zaoldyeck family.

"Well, follow me. The servant's quarters are just up ahead. We'll put you up for the night," the guard said as he led them to a cabin.

Karasu struggled to open the 440 pound door, walk in 44 pound slippers, and drink from mugs that weighed 44 pounds. The group agreed to train at the house for a month without her given consent, and she was quickly put into a 110 pound vest.

It was the start of the second week when Gon asked the question.

"Karasu, will you tell me about your family?"


	15. Fifteen Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events of Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Fifteen

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

"Karasu, will you tell me about your family?"

Karasu looked at Gon and pursed her lips. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said slowly, "We know that Kurapika is the last of his clan, and I live with my Aunt Mito but my dad was a Hunter, and we're here because Killua was born into a family of assassins. But we don't know anything about your family."

She sipped her tea, trying to kill enough time so that Gon would get bored and look for something else that would interest him. When she set her mug down Gon was still staring at her, waiting for an answer, and so were Kurapika and Leorio. She didn't think the kid was going to let up.

"We moved around a lot," she began, looking up at the ceiling. "We rode in caravans from town to town and sometimes we would camp in the woods. The elders had powers that couldn't be explained."

"What kind of powers?" Gon asked, eyes wide and sparkling.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm getting to it."

He sunk down in his seat.

Karasu sipped her tea and gathered her thoughts. She began again, "The elders had powers. Mostly the women, but a few men, too. I was always scared of them."

She could see clearly in her mind's eye the old women. She could see their sagging skin hidden behind sheer shawls, their gnarled hands reaching out to offer her candy she didn't want to take. In her ears she could hear the jingling of their many jewels and chains and bells, the whisper of their clothing - so many layers it made Karasu wonder how they didn't die from the heat. The memory made her shudder.

"Some of them could tell the future," she whispered around her mug. "They'd look at your palm and know your whole life. Others would lay out all these creepy cards and tell you why things weren't working out for you. It was awful."

"But it sounds really cool," Gon cut in, eyes sparkling again. "Can you do that, Karasu?"

"Of course not!" she snapped, glaring. "Do I look like an old woman to you?"

Gon slowly shook his head, as if unsure.

"There was a coming of age ceremony for when a girl became a woman. It happened when she turned eighteen. I'm not old enough, now am I?"

"I guess not."

She set down her mug of tea and sighed. "But anyway, they're dead now so it doesn't matter. I'm going to bed."

She stood as Gon sputtered. "Karasu, you can't go to bed! Finish the story!"

"Your family is dead?" Kurapika questioned, his brows disappearing into his bangs.

"Yep. Dead. Every last one of them."

"How?" he asked, his voice much softer than Gon's, who was flailing his arms in exasperation.

Karasu looked down at the table and shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Kurapika said nothing. Karasu wouldn't have said anything either, but she wasn't expecting Gon to grab onto her from across the table and send her to the floor.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, unable to move with all of Gon's weight on her.

"Tell the story!" he exclaimed, "You can't leave on a cliffhanger like that, Karasu!"

"I can't breathe," she whispered, and Gon stood up. He hauled her up and put her back in her chair, standing behind her. She wheezed and put a hand over her chest. "Fine. I'll tell you."

A grin split Gon's face and he returned to his seat. He watched her attentively as she caught her breath.

Karasu stared up at the ceiling. "I was about seven or eight when everything changed."

She expected Gon to interrupt her again, but he didn't. She continued.

"I didn't want to play with any of the other kids. They just made fun of me. So I went for a walk in the woods, just outside of camp, but it turned out that I had walked much further than I thought. I got hurt…."

She could see it, could practically feel it. Wandering too far out and the earth crumbling beneath her weight. Plummeting through the air, the wind screaming in her ears far louder than she could hope to, tree branches lashing at her back and doing nothing to slow her fall. As she remembered it the scars on her back tingled.

It took no time for her to hit the ground, and when she did the impact stole her breath. She had laid there, tears dripping down to her earlobes and unable to feel her legs. Unable to move or speak and being so sure she was going to die. She had slipped away.

"I woke up to Kohaishin standing over me."

"Who's Kohaishin?" Gon asked.

"The guy I had to find on Zevil Island. Didn't you guys meet him?"

They all shook their heads.

"Oh… Killua met him," she muttered, her eyes squinting at the memory.

She waved her hand. "Anyway, Kohaishin nursed me back to health and sort of became my friend. No one knew about him but me, so it was kind of a special friendship but… eventually they did find out."

Karasu didn't want to remember that part. She was fine with thinking of Kohaishin putting his hands over her injuries and healing them like he was a sorcerer, and she felt alright about the power his healing had awoken in her tiny body. She was somewhat thankful for it, even if she hadn't been ready to learn from him.

What Karasu didn't want to remember was the day Kohaishin had stumbled into their camp and gone up to her like it was an every day thing. She didn't want to remember when he left and the elders had a meeting to decide how they should proceed with this magical stranger. They'd concluded that he should be killed.

"What did they do?" Gon questioned, pulling her back into the story.

She tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "They didn't do anything. They died before they could."

"He killed them?" Kurapika asked, his eyes wide and burning like Karasu had never seen.

"Is that why he was your target in the exam?"

She shook her head slowly. "Kohaishin didn't kill them."

"Then who did?"

Karasu fell silent, staring down at her hands. Her lower lip wobbled and tears burned her eyes. She thought she'd gotten over it. But then, maybe she'd never truly be over.

"Karasu?"

She choked on her words and buried her face in her hands. "I did it. I killed them."

There was silence but for her sobbing.

"You…?"

She nodded quickly, rubbing at her eyes. "They were going to kill Kohaishin and I just…." She shook her head. "I just snapped. I couldn't control myself. One second everything was peachy, and then they were dead."

No one said anything as Karasu dried her eyes. She didn't know what they were thinking. She didn't know if she _wanted_ to know.

"So there you go. Now you know my life. I'm going to bed."

She stood and left without another word, going into the room she was staying in and crawling into bed. She listened to them move around outside and she reflected.

For all their powers they hadn't been able to stand up to her. She'd been a ticking time bomb and she had decimated everyone in her path. Kohaishin had been important to her and they were going to take him away.

She fell asleep with tears in her eyes and her scars tingling.


	16. Sixteen Per Cent

Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

* * *

"Grayscale" Chapter Sixteen

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

At the end of the third week the four of them could open the gate. They traveled toward the mansion wordlessly.

Karasu could feel the tension in the air. They were hanging around a murderer and they didn't exactly know what to do about it. She'd avoided talking to them since she'd spilled her guts, but now they were together again. It was Gon who broke the silence.

"Killua wants to kill his family, too."

They blinked at him.

"He wants the bounty of their heads," Karasu said quietly.

Gon nodded. "So I don't think it's all bad you killed your family. It was for your friend, right?"

"I'm not sure that makes it okay, but yeah," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Gon just shrugged in reply, but he smiled at her and it eased her spirits.

The group followed the path and in little time they came to an open section of wall being guarded by a young girl. She stood stoic and cold, a cane clenched in her hands.

Her eyes landed on them and she spoke before they could. "You will please leave. This is private property and you do not have permission to be here."

"We passed through the testing gate," Gon explained. "And we called ahead."

"But did you get permission from the butlers?"

He shook his head. "Not even when we said we were friends."

She remained unmoved. "You will please leave. Crossing this line," she pointed at her feet where a line was drawn in the dirt, "will push me to remove you by force."

Gon held a hand up to stop Kurapika and Leorio, who'd begun to move forward. He stepped up to the young girl, meeting her eye. He didn't even pause to contemplate his decision before he placed his foot pointedly on the line. The girl swung her cane with lightning speed, slamming the round handle into his face.

Karasu flinched and closed her eyes at the sound, but unlike Kurapika and Leorio, she made no move to avenge Gon's injury. He knew what he was doing.

"We're not here to fight anyone," he tried to explain, "we just want to see Killua."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I have orders."

Gon stood and approached again, receiving the same treatment. Karasu watched for five full minutes before she couldn't take it anymore. She walked over to a tree and sat at its base, burying her head in her knees and covering her ears. Kurapika and Leorio could watch Gon take a pounding, but she couldn't.

The sun descended in the sky and Gon's face was no longer recognizable. He was bruised and swollen and still going.

"Please…" the young girl whispered. "Just go away."

Her cane struck.

When Gon still didn't waver she looked to Kurapika and Leorio. "You! You're his friends; make him stop!"

She recoiled when neither budged.

"Why do we have to do this?" Gon asked suddenly, clenching his fist. "We just want to see our friend. What… _is everyone so afraid of_?"

He leapt at the girl, slamming his fist into one of the pillars by her and shattering it. They both stood frozen. Gon's head remained down. "Well? My foot is over the line. Shouldn't you hit me?"

"Uh, right…." She brought her cane up but she hesitated. She looked agonized as she met Gon's eye.

He straightened up. "You know what the difference is between you and Mike?"

She slowly shook her head.

"You hide your emotions," he told her, "but you still have a soul. When I mentioned Killua, you betrayed something. Concern?"

Her lip quivered and a tear fell down her cheek.

"Please… you have to help Master Killua."

A shot rang out. Karasu flinched and her eyes widened as the girl's body fell to the ground, her temple leaking blood. She stood and looked around in a near panic. A ways ahead of them stood a peculiar woman in a Victorian era dress and hat with interesting eyewear. Beside her was a young boy in a kimono, a blank stare on his face.

The woman spoke. "We simply must not have the hired help acting so rashly."

No one said anything, and in the silence Karasu could hear the woman's eyepiece buzzing.

"She's still an apprentice, you see," she explained. "She doesn't understand our family dynamic." Her head tilted to the side. "You must be Gon. Illumi mentioned you."

Her lips turned down suddenly and she spat, "And you must be Karasu. Illumi has mentioned you as well."

Karasu blinked and her brows furrowed. She wasn't aware that there was anything to mention.

The woman huffed and continued. "Killua is aware you've been on the property. He asked me to pass on a message for him. Quote, 'Thanks for coming to see me. However, I'm presently indisposed. Sorry.'"

Before she could stop herself Karasu snapped, "That doesn't sound like something Killua would say."

Her lips turned down again. "I am Killua's mother. This is Kalluto."

Gon ignored her and went to check up on the young girl's health. Leorio assured him she was simply knocked out, and Gon appeared quite eased. He turned to Killua's mother.

"Why aren't we allowed to see him, ma'am?"

"He is in solitary confinement," she stated. "He attacked his brother and myself, and then ran away. He did, however, come back wishing to repent."

Karasu snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fat chance."

She gritted her teeth. "All of this has been done of his own accord. It is anyone's guess when he'll want to receive visitors."

Her visor buzzed again and a look of surprise came to her features. She spoke in response to a voice no one else heard. "Father-in-law, please, not _now_! … You _what_? He's not ready yet!"

The group exchanged a confused glance as the woman huffed and gathered up her skirts. She shook her head and muttered to herself. While turning to leave she addressed the group. "I must go now."

"Ma'am, would you let Killua know we'll be in the area for ten more days?" Gon requested. Karasu was surprised he could be so polite to the woman.

She was silent before nodding. "Yes, I can tell him that." And the two Zaoldyecks were gone.

The young girl who'd given Gon such a beating regained consciousness not long after Killua's mother left. She accepted his help and led them to the butler's quarters, explaining that there was a phone connected to the main house and that they might get somewhere if a man named Master Zeno answered the call.

It was dark before they reached the lavish building. Karasu tried to help apply bandages to Gon's face as the butlers welcomed them. They explained that they were to treat the group as guests, even offering tea and cake.

"Look, we appreciate this," Leorio began, "but we're really just here to see Killua. If you can just take us up to the mansion-"

"Not necessary," the head butler interjected. "Master Killua is on his way here."

Karasu's eyes widened and Gon's face split into a grin. "He's on his way here?"

The head butler nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, but as waiting is such a tedious activity, I propose a game."

"What kind of game?" Karasu questioned, immediately suspicious of this man.

He produced a coin and flicked it into the air. As it fell he brought both his hands across his body, catching the coin. "What hand?"

"Left," they responded in unison.

The butler opened his left hand to reveal the coin. "Correct. Now faster."

The coin flipped into the air again and fell. When his hands came across it was much quicker and Karasu almost missed it. "Left again."

The next round was not only faster. When the coin fell the butler's hands reached out and pulled back repeatedly and with such speed that Karasu wasn't sure what she was seeing. "And now?"

Leorio scratched at his chin. "That's tough. I'd have to say right."

"Allow me to clarify something for you," the butler spoke. The glare he set the group with was intense. "I have known Master Killua since he was a baby. I care for him as I would my own child. I do _not_ approve of you taking him away. So… which hand?"

"Left," Kurapika replied, and it was revealed to be true.

"They lady's voice was only a whisper when she called. Her son is leaving and her heart is breaking, and it is your fault." He produced a new coin, the previous having been bent in the last toss. "I will get a measure of you myself before Master Killua arrives."

The other butlers that had gathered in the room produced knives and stood so no one could flee. One grabbed the girl by the shoulder and placed a blade to her neck. Karasu exhaled a heavy breath and felt sweat bead on her forehead.

"Make a mistake and you're out. If all of you are out before Master Killua arrives then we'll just tell him you left." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "You will be gone, of course."

The coin went up, Karasu's breath caught in her throat, and she made the mistake of blinking. When her eyes opened again she'd missed the end of the toss and the butler was looking at them expectantly.

"Which hand?"

They looked between each other in a near panic.

"You will answer or he will slit her throat."

Karasu glanced back at the young girl, looking so unconcerned with a knife to her throat.

"Left!" Leorio shouted, and she nodded in agreement.

"I think it's the right," Gon muttered, and Kurapika supported this.

The butler opened his hands to show Gon and Kurapika's correct response. Karasu's stomach dropped.

"Two out, two to go."

She leaned back into the couch and covered her eyes, sure that they were hopeless and about to die. She heard the ping of the coin off the butler's fingernail and the snap of his hands in the air. Gon and Kurapika chose opposite hands, Gon coming out correct.

She squirmed as he stopped the next toss to borrow Leorio's knife and slit open the skin over his left eye. Blood spurt from the wound but he could see out of both eyes and let the toss go.

"Left."

"Correct."

The group watched in amazement when two more people were added to the coin toss, hands weaving in and out with such speed and Karasu nearly wept with joy that the responsibility wasn't on her. Gon simply smiled and jerked a thumb behind him. "The guy behind me has it."

The butlers chuckled and clapped and congratulated them and then Killua's voice reached their ears.

Her heart thudded in her chest and she sighed with relief. He appeared with bruises and scratches and a smile, calling their names and laughing. The world emptied around her as their eyes met and she smiled softly.


	17. Seventeen Per Cent

"Grayscale" Chapter Seventeen

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

The ride back to the hotel was silent. Everyone had fallen asleep except for Karasu, who was instead staring out the window at the dark sky. She was exhausted but far too happy to sleep. Killua was back.

He sat a seat in front of her with Gon, the two of them sleeping on each others shoulders. Behind her were Leorio and Kurapika, looking like a couple the way they were beside each other. Karasu hadn't noticed how like a girl Kurapika looked sometimes.

She smiled at the stars and listened to the hum of the bus. She was quite surprised when someone sat beside her.

Karasu turned quickly, coming face to face with a pair of bright green eyes. Her nose brushed Killua's and froze for a moment, the two of them locked together. She slowly moved back, a blush rising on her cheeks in the dark.

"I didn't know you were awake," she whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap.

He hummed and leaned closer. "Gon told me."

His voice was so soft she almost didn't hear what he'd said. Her blood ran cold. She moved closer, the two of them looking like confidants.

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me that you told them about your family."

She swallowed hard. "And what did he tell you?"

"He told me that I should ask you," he answered.

Karasu bit her lip. "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I want to know. We're friends, aren't we?"

She paused for a moment, contemplating whether she wanted to confide in him or not. She spent the rest of the ride whispering the tale to him, filling the silence with her history. Before they reached their destination, he was comforting her as she cried.

In the morning Karasu was far too drained to pay attention to the group. She knew there was something going on with a coin and Hisoka but other than that she was practically asleep on her feet. Following that Leorio and Kurapika had left and then Killua was yelling at Gon, which Karasu felt was rather amusing. When the two looked at her expectantly, she knew she'd been zoned out for too long.

"… What?"

"What do you plan on doing? Gon and I are going to go to Heavens Arena, but we're all gonna meet up at Yorknew on September 1st. Weren't you paying attention?" Killua raised an eyebrow at her and frowned.

"Of course I was paying attention," she grumbled. "But… I suppose I'll go to the Arena with you. It's not like I really have anything else to do."

Gon grinned. "Good. Then let's go."

The three of them took a blimp to the Arena and Karasu took the opportunity to nap the ride away. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again Gon was shaking her awake. She followed the two of them into the tower and up to the reception desk, where she signed up to fight. She had no idea what was going on. When the three walked into the arena where the fighting was going on she woke up immediately.

She whistled low and followed Gon and Killua into the stands. Gon's number was called just before hers and the two of them headed down together.

"Killua told me to just push my opponent," he told her. "He said you probably could, too, since we opened the gate at his house."

"Maybe I'll try and do that, then," she answered, and the two of them parted ways.

Karasu stood on a platform across from a thin and lanky man. His limbs were long unnatural. His hair hung down his back and his nose stuck from his face in a hook. Karasu's nose wrinkled and she scowled.

The referee raised a hand into the air. "First floor contests are to evaluate skill. You have three minutes." He brought his hand down at the man lunged.

Karasu took a step back, but before she could do anything else a huge man barreled into her opponent and the two went flying into the wall on the other side of the room. She whipped her head around to where the man had come from and spotted Gon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted, flailing her arms and flushing red.

"I just pushed him!" Gon shouted back, waving a hand at her and smiling.

She huffed and had to wait for a new opponent. When she finally got one it was a man of average height who appeared well built. When the fight began he paused for a moment and lowered into a fighting stance. She followed suit and when he lunged at her he was so slow that it took no effort for her to dodge and slam her palm into his chest. He went flying much like Gon's opponent had.

Her jaw dropped and she looked down at her hand. "Did I just do that?"

"You may proceed to floor 50," the referee stated and handed her a ticket. She nodded and hobbled off to the elevator.

She stood in the elevator with Gon, Killua, and a boy she didn't know. The woman manning the elevator explained how the tower worked and what happened when the fighter won or lost. They stopped and were let off on the 50th floor.

The four of them stood awkwardly by the elevator for a moment until the boy they didn't know bowed. "Osu! My name is Zushi, what's yours?"

"I'm Gon. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Killua."

"Karasu."

He smiled. "I watched your fights, all of you are amazing."

"Sorry we missed yours," Killua replied, "though you've obviously advanced."

"You've gotta be at least as good as us," Gon encouraged.

Karasu said nothing.

"Thank! I'm here to improve." He looked between the three of them and then snapped to attention. "What school do you belong to? I study Shingen-Ryu Kung Fu myself."

"We're…" Killua looked from Gon to Karasu. "We're independent."

"_What_?"

Before they could reply they heard clapping and turned to look. A man with ruffled hair and glasses approached with a smile. "Well done, Zushi."

"Thank you, sensei. Your shirttail's out again."

"Oops, dang it!" Karasu watched as the man tucked in his shirt quickly. He looked up and smiled again. "So who are these two, Zushi?"

"Oh, this is Gon, Killua, and Karasu," he replied, pointing to each as he named them.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Wing." He looked at each of them, his eyes lingering on Karasu a little longer than the others. She shifted uncomfortably until he looked away. "Well, I wasn't expecting any kids beside Zushi, so what brings you here?"

"We'd like to improve our skills," Killua answered. He paused a moment and added, "And make some money."

"Killua's been here before," Gon added.

"Well, you're obviously good enough to get this far," he replied, and they parted ways.

They bought cans of juice with their winnings and Killua explained the payout for each floor. It didn't take long after they sat in the waiting room to be called for their next matches.

Karasu was called first and the man she fought was defeated as easily as her first opponent had been. She sat in the lobby of the 60th floor and Gon was quick to join her. They waited for Killua with their money, talking about nothing. When he finally showed up he looked a bit worse for wear.

"What took you so long?"

"Zushi," he answered, scowling. "He proved to be… challenging."

"Challenging how?" Karasu questioned.

"He's talented," Killua explained. "But he's still nowhere near my skill level and yet I couldn't KO him."

"Is that all?" Gon asked.

He shook his head. "He took on a new stance and… I started to get bad vibes. Kind of like when I'm around my brother."

Karasu shuddered.

"It's a technique that I just can't figure out. Oh, and Wing called it Ren."

Karasu blinked. The term Ren sounded incredibly familiar. She went to staring at the ceiling as Gon and Killua discussed the arena.

"Change of plans," Killua stated, frowning to himself. "Gon, Karasu. We're going all the way to the top."


	18. Eighteen Per Cent

"Grayscale" Chapter Eighteen

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

It only took three days for the three of them to reach the 100th floor. Killua was a fan favorite because of his speed, Gon because of his power, and Karasu simply because she was the only girl actually fighting in the Tower. A few more days later and they'd passed another fifty floors. When that happened, the topic turned again to Zushi.

"I wonder…" Gon hummed, "just what kind of technique Ren is."

"It sounds familiar," Karasu answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just don't know why.

"Well… why don't we ask Zushi?"

Karasu and Killua both fell silent, as if the thought hadn't occurred to them.

They found Zushi on the fiftieth floor, and he was only too happy to explain it to them.

"That's easy; it's one of the four exercises. Learn Ten, know Zetsu, through Ren, to attain Hatsu."

The three fed him a blank stare.

He nodded. "That's how you train for Nen. And now you know."

Karasu blinked. None of that was familiar to her.

"Zushi, are you trying to teach? You're not qualified." The four jumped, looking behind Zushi at Wing, who smiled. "You know, Gon, Killua, Karasu… There's an old proverb that says a smattering of knowledge may leave one wallowing in greater ignorance."

Killua snorted. "As in a little learning is a dangerous thing? But I really want to learn this." His face hardened. "I'm sure it's the secret of my brother's power."

"Then he's a student of Nen," he clarified, and then nodded toward Karasu. "And so is she."

Gon and Killua turned to look at her in surprise. She shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "I wouldn't really call myself a student."

"You have access to your Nen," he answered.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know anything about Ten, Zetsu, Ren, or Hatsu. I've never heard of any of that."

"Well, then could you teach us?" Killua asked, turning to Wing. "We'll learn one way or another, but if you'd be our teacher we won't seek further knowledge elsewhere."

Wing thought it over before finally saying, "Alright. Then let's adjourn to my hotel room."

"Karasu, I didn't know you knew Nen," Gon exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Umm, well…" Her brows furrowed and she shrugged. "I told you all the women in my family had powers. Their powers were Nen; I just learned it from Kohaishin, instead of when I came of age."

"Nen can let you tell the future?" Gon asked with wide eyes.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "It's more complicated than that, Gon."

He nodded in agreement.

At Wing's hotel room they had Nen explained to them. "Nen is a power that enflames our soul and is expressed through our strength of will."

Killua, Gon, and Karasu exchanged glances, faces twisted in some form of confusion.

"Nen is comprised of four exercises which harness that strength. Ten - focus the mind, reflect upon thyself, and determine the goal. Zetsu - put it into words. Ren - intensify your will. And Hatsu - put it to action."

Wing turned to Killua and smiled. "Earlier, in your battle with Zushi, you were intimidated by his use of Ren, his will to defeat you."

The three exchanged glances again.

"Allow me to demonstrate," Wing murmured. "Killua. I'm going to kill you. Are you alright with that?"

Killua blinked in surprise. "Yeah, go ahead. Of course, you _can't_."

"Let's go in proper order." Wing hunkered down, bending his knees and crossing his wrists in front of his waist. Karasu could feel her skin begin to prickle, and she frowned. "Zetsu. Say it aloud or to yourself, either way. Killua, I am now going to kill you."

When the pressure hit Killua fled and Gon shuddered. Karasu felt the bloodlust immerse her and then pushed back without thinking. Her body tensed and her eyes narrowed, but the more Wing pushed against her the more she pressed back. Sweat popped on her brow and she ground her teeth together until finally Wing relented and the bloodlust was gone.

The moment she could no longer feel his ill will she calmed, her entire body drained of power as she collapsed to one knee and panted heavily.

"That was Ren," Wing explained. "With sufficient strength, will function as action. A more familiar term for this may be bluffing, for an efficient battle cry can panic an enemy. This can cloud your goals and actual prowess, and so to use Ren effectively you need unwavering clarity."

Gon's body had relaxed and Killua had come down from his safe haven. Karasu remained kneeling, her body singing with pain.

"Not only do you need unwavering clarity, but also a cultivated spirit. To learn about Nen it is best to start by mastering Ten." He smiled. "With that, you should easily be able to withstand intimidation."

Karasu slowly rose to her feet. Killua placed a hand on her shoulder to help her balance herself, and she nodded in thanks. He guided her toward the door, not saying anything when she looped an arm around his waist and gathered a fistful of his shirt.

As they left Gon shouted thanks over his shoulder and shut the door before joining the two. They hadn't walked far before Killua finally stated, "Wing lied to us."

"He lied?" Gon exclaimed in surprise. Killua nodded.

Killua frowned slightly. "What he said was partly true, and his power was real, but it doesn't begin to cover things like Zushi's peculiar resilience during our fight. It didn't matter what I did, he wouldn't stay down. In the end, I got a little assertive."

His face quirked in thought before he stated, "You can't just will away physical harm. There has to be something more to it."

"It's a little like a shield," Karasu muttered, feeling her legs stretch and the pain begin to ebb.

"What do you mean?"

"When Wing used his Ren, I could feel myself react to it," she explained slowly. "I've been able to use Nen since I was young but I was never really taught the basics. I think that when Wing used Ren, I couldn't help but use it, too."

"You did feel a little different," Gon expressed, looking to the sky in thought.

"I'm always aware of my Nen," she said softly. "But Ren was different. It was like overdrive. But the way that it surrounded my body, it probably could be used as a shield in physical fights."

"You think so?" Killua asked.

She shook her head. "It might be. I might be talking out of my ass. I just… it felt different."

They arrived back at the Heaven's Arena, departing to their rooms.

By the end of the week they were traveling to the 200th floor.


End file.
